Dhaka, June 7 -- The United Kingdom overtook Saudi Arabia to become Bangladesh's largest source of remittances in May, the first time it has topped the monthly rankings on record.

Bangladeshis living in the UK sent $643.57 million home in May, overtaking Saudi Arabia, which has traditionally been the largest remittance source.

The flow of remittances from the European country had been rising for several months before it climbed to the top spot.

Data released by Bangladesh Bank on Sunday showed expatriates sent a total of $3.43 billion in May, up 14.34 percent compared with the same month a year earlier.

The figure was the second-highest monthly remittance inflow on record, behind only $3.75 billion received in March this year.

Analys...