Dhaka, Oct. 5 -- Remittances are giving Bangladesh's struggling economy a much-needed lift, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the biggest source of the inflows.

Expatriate Bangladeshis sent $8.59 billion home in the first quarter of fiscal 2026-27, up 13.3 percent from the same period a year earlier, Bangladesh Bank data released Monday showed.

Saudi Arabia accounted for 19.2 percent of the total, sending $1.65 billion during July-September. That was 34 percent higher than the $1.23 billion received from the country in the same period of fiscal 2025-26.

Saudi Arabia was also Bangladesh's largest remittance source last year, contributing $5.85 billion, or 16.33 percent of the total $35.59 billion received.

More than 3.5 million Bangladeshi...