FROM PAGE B1

Inflows surged to $3.22 billion in December 2025, up from $2.64 billion a year earlier, and remained strong at $3.17 billion in January 2026, compared with $2.19 billion the previous January. February saw remittance reaching $3.02 billion, up from $2.53 billion received in the same period a year earlier.

“In the context of the energy crisis, remittances play a critical role in offsetting higher import payments and supporting reserve accumulation,” the report said.

The GED nonetheless cautioned against over-reliance on remittances.

A significant share of Bangladesh’s migrant workforce is employed in energy-exporting economies, particularly in the Middle East, leaving flows vulnerable to geopolitical tensions, oil price swings, and shifts in host-country labour demand.

“Any disruption in these economies could directly affect migrant employment and, consequently, remittance inflows,” it warned.

While seasonal factors and continued migration are expected to sustain inflows in the near term, GED said the medium-term outlook “will depend heavily on global economic conditions and the stability of overseas labour markets.”

The report also flagged a widening gap between inflation and wages. Wage growth remained stagnant at 8.06 percent in February, squeezing the real incomes of low-income households and threatening to dampen consumption as rising living costs erode purchasing power.

On the fiscal front, revenue collection by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) fell well short of targets.

Actual collection in February reached Tk 30,559 crore, against a revised target of Tk 42,051 crore, leaving a shortfall of over Tk 11,000 crore.

Implementation of the Annual Development Programme has also slowed compared with the previous fiscal year, hampered by bottlenecks in project approval, procurement, and fund disbursement.