Staff Reporter :
Sending money home from Saudi Arabia continues to be disproportionately costly for Bangladeshi migrant workers, said Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, urging closer collaboration between financial institutions of both countries to bring down transfer expenses.
Speaking at the Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh Business Summit in Dhaka on Tuesday, Mansur noted that remittance charges currently range between 6% and 10%, placing a heavy burden on expatriate workers.
He said Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia share complementary economic priorities – with Bangladesh supplying labour and Saudi Arabia offering energy and investment. The governor invited the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund and private sector to explore opportunities in infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology in Bangladesh.
Despite global disruptions, Bangladesh’s economy has remained resilient, maintaining growth above 3.5% for the past three decades, he added.
The summit, organised by the Saudi Arabia-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SABCCI), was also attended by BNP leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
Khosru lauded Bangladesh’s early achievements in labour diplomacy but emphasised the need for greater investment in skills development, pointing out that only 22% of the 2.1 million Bangladeshi workers in Saudi Arabia are currently skilled. He also encouraged Saudi investors to consider opportunities in Bangladesh’s capital market.
SABCCI President Ashraful Haque Chowdhury said the chamber aims to strengthen exports and attract more Saudi investment, while Policy Exchange Chair Masrur Reaz highlighted the importance of improving port efficiency and cutting bureaucratic delays to build investor confidence.
