Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Atiur Rahman urged on Wednesday banks and financial institutions (FIs) to take steps on how to support returned migrants through banking channel.
The governor's request came at the inaugural session of a workshop in the city, organized to catalyse innovation in new remittance and transfer products, improve existing remittance infrastructure and the use of remittances.
The central bank chief said steps should also be taken collectively to rehabilitate the returnees from Libya and other middle-eastern countries or help them seek jobs in other nations to keep the remittance flow intact.
Thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers who were stranded on the Libya-Tunis-Egypt borders were flown back to the country after the anti-Ghadafi movement oil-rich Arab nation Libya.
Dr Rahman said the central bank has been taking a number of steps for the safe and efficient payment systems to expedite faster delivery of remittances across the country.
The steps are part of the Remittance and Payments Challenge Fund (RPCF) under the Remittance and Payments Partnership (RPP) Project, he said.
An estimated 8.0 million Bangladeshis are working and living abroad who sent home more than 10 billion last year.
Deputy country representative of UK's Department for International Development Diana Dalton, Bangladesh Bank executive director Dasgupta Asim Kumar and RPCF manager Anwar Uddin Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.
BBN/SSR/AD-24Mar11-1:43 am (BST)