Digital literacy training for expats can boost remittance flow

Bangladesh should train migrant workers on digital literacy so that they send remittance home through legal channels and using electronic platforms instead of turning to hundi operators, speakers said today.

They made the comments at a roundtable on "Remittance Through Legal Channel: Prospects of Digital Platform" organised by the Economic Reporters' Forum at its office in Dhaka.

According to speakers, most of the workers, who live abroad, do not have digital money transfer knowledge, so they depend on agents or hundi to send money to the country. As a result, the agents or the hundi operators are getting a portion of the money and the country is being deprived of remittance.

Bangladeshis who live in North American countries have digital money transfer knowledge so they send money through legal channels and using digital money transfer systems.

On the other hand, expatriates who work and stay in the Middle Eastern countries go to agents or prefer hundi while sending money. As a result, the country does not get remittance at the expected level from the Middle Eastern countries, said the experts.

Out of 1.3 crore Bangladeshi expatriates, 70 lakh live in various Middle Eastern countries.