Remittances recovered slightly in February with a 0.85 percent gain year-on-year, according to Bangladesh Bank.

The country received $1.18 billion in the second month of 2015, up from $1.17 billion in February last year, according to the provisional figures released by the central bank yesterday.

February receipts are, however, the lowest in the last four months.

Bangladesh received $9.9 billion in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, up 7.6 percent over the same period a year ago.

Experts said migrant workers are worried about the political upheaval since January 6, prompting them to hold back from sending in money.

Sent by more than eight million migrant workers, remittance plays a key role in reducing the overall incidence of poverty in the country as well as helping the country maintain a healthy balance of payments.

If the migrant workers continue to send in money as they have done so far, Bangladesh may receive $15 billion this fiscal year.

The country received nearly $14.23 billion in remittance in the last fiscal year, down from fiscal 2012-13's $14.46 billion.

It is now possible to make up for the negative growth after Saudi Arabia's decision to reopen its labour market to migrant workers from Bangladesh after a six-year bar, a central bank official said.

Saudi Arabia is home to more than 15 lakh migrant workers from Bangladesh, the country's largest destination for workers. Riyadh's refusal to take in Bangladeshi workers in the last six years had led to a decline in overall labour migration.