The non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) from Saudi Arabia sent US$ 1734.7 million in the 2006-07 fiscal compared to $ 1562.21 million in the 2005-06 fiscal, registering 11 percent growth, according to Bangladesh Bank's country-wise remittance inflow statistics.

In FY '07, the total remittance inflow into the country was $ 5978.47 million compared to $ 4427.23 million the previous fiscal, marking a 35 percent growth.

According to experts, boosted by skilled manpower export and local banks' measures, remittance inflow from some Middle Eastern (ME) and European countries marked a significant rise last fiscal.

The central bank says it was even 90 percent higher than such inflow the previous fiscal when it came to the case of an individual country.

The experts said government's recent measures against hundi, an illegal way of money transfer, encouraged the Bangladeshi wage earners to send money home through legal channels.

Initiatives to raise remittance besides tapping overseas employment opportunities have contributed to the rise in such inflow, they said.

Sources in the banking sector said the private commercial banks (PCBs) also came forward to take proper measures to increase their earnings from remittance services.

Many a such bank have opened branches abroad to send expatriates' money home, while many others have made corporate deals with overseas money transfer companies so that the NRBs can avail of authorised channels to do the job.

In addition, exports of skilled manpower from Bangladesh increased considerably.

Also, a recent migration of many professionals to several European countries, including the United Kingdom, has turned out to be a factor behind the increased remittance.

The central bank's data showed that remittance inflow from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into Bangladesh rose by almost 57 percent. The NRBs from the UAE sent $ 804.84 million in the FY '07 against $ 512.64 million in the FY '06.

The remittance from Kuwait and Qatar grew 49.8 and 44 percent. In FY '07, Bangladesh received $ 680.7 million from the NRBs in Kuwait and $233.17 million from expatriate Bangladeshis in Qatar.

The NRBs from the ME countries sent $ 3734.81 million in FY '07 fiscal compared to $ 2906.79 million the previous fiscal, registering a 28.48 percent growth.

In FY '07, the NRBs from the UK sent $ 886.9 million compared to $ 517.39 million in FY '06, showing a 71.41 percent growth.

Registering a 90.8 percent growth, the remittance inflow from Italy into Bangladesh reached $149.65 million last fiscal from $ 78.43 million the previous fiscal.

Apart from the ME and Europe, the highest remittance comes from the USA. In the last fiscal, the amount sent by the NRBs from the USA marked a 32.64 percent rise over that of the previous fiscal.

The amount was $ 930.33 million last fiscal, while it was $ 701.37 million the previous fiscal.

The NRBs send approximately $7 billion every year and a significant fraction of the total amount still comes through 'hundi'.

Meanwhile, in the first month of the current financial year (2007-08), the NRBs sent $ 567 million, which was $ 412 million during the same period last fiscal, registering a 38 percent growth.