JAKARTA - Bangladesh’s Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury warned the ongoing Middle East conflict could reduce remittances from Bangladeshi workers in the region.

Speaking to journalists on March 8 after a law-and-order committee meeting at the Sylhet Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Choudhury said that some impact on remittance inflows would “naturally be felt” as tensions escalate.

“The government has taken various initiatives for those who have kept the country’s economy running by sending remittances from abroad,” Choudhury mentioned.

Bangladesh received a record high of $32.8 billion in remittances in 2025, according to Bangladesh Bank, the country’s central bank. In FY2024–2025, remittances accounted for around 6.57% of Bangladesh’s GDP, which is a considerably high percentage. 

Dhaka also reported that Bangladesh witnessed $3.02 billion in remittance in February 2026 as Islamic holy month of Ramadan began. There are at least seven to eight million Bangladeshis living in six Gulf countries.

“Our first task is to keep the expatriates in the Middle East on the safe side. Provide them with logistical support. In case the war situation turns out to be bad, the issue of bringing them back home is also being kept in mind,” Choudhury said further.

“If anyone is injured, arrangements will be made for their treatment.”

As of March 9, the conflict has sharply escalated after US and Israeli strikes that Iranian state media say killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran has then named son Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor. 

Roughly 20% of global oil consumption passes through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the wider Arabian Sea. Since the conflict started, Tehran declared that it closed the Strait to ships linked to the US and Israel, effectively closing the waterway to most commercial traffic. 

The escalating Middle East conflict could also threaten about $6.5 billion in annual remittances sent home by Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)

Central bank chief Eli Remolona warned that a prolonged war may reduce demand for Filipino labour in the region and disrupt inflows that account for roughly 18% of the Philippines’ remittances.