Bangladesh Bank (BB) started discussions with commercial banks to find the ways of increasing remittance inflow against the backdrop of its falling trend in recent months.
"According to the government decision, BB on Wednesday held a meeting with senior officials of top 20 remittance-recipient banks to awake of receding remittance inflows," said BB's chief spokesperson Subhankar Saha on Wednesday.
He, also executive director of the central bank, said the government has already moved to bring the remittance inflow in upward trend through finding out its reasons.
He said the falling currency rate against dollar and low oil prices have hit the incomes of the Middle Eastern countries where most of the Bangladeshi migrants work.
"Some NRBs are also using informal channels, including mobile banking, for sending their money home," he added.
Regarding the today's meeting, a senior banker said the central bank called the meeting for taking suggestions from the bankers as the government think to cut remittance-sending cost for improving the flow of inward remittance in the ongoing fiscal year.
He said BB cannot take any decision in this regard yet and it will also hold another meeting with the senior officials of the commercial banks on July 24 for making the decision time buffeting.
"We also suggested the central bank to give incentive to the remittance receivers for motivating NRBs for sending remittance through banking channel," he added.
Recently, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said Bangladeshi expatriates will not have to bear any charge for sending home remittances as the government will take necessary measures in this regard.
"We'll not keep any charge on sending home remittances by expatriates for increasing the inflow of remittances and the Prime Minister has already given us instructions in this regard," he added.
The inflow of remittances dropped to US$ 12,769.45 million in the fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 from $14,931.15 million a year before, according to the BB data.

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has appointed Md Mahbub ul Alam as Additional Managing Director, says a press release.
Currently, he is heading the Corporate Investment Wing and Investment (Credit) Committee of the bank.
As Deputy Managing Director, he performed responsibilities in International Banking Wing, Operations Wing and Retail Investment Wing of the bank.
He joined in Islami Bank in 1984. During his long 33 years career, he served the bank in different capacities as Head of different Branches including as Branch Manager of Local Office, the largest operational unit of the bank and Head of Different Division at Head Office.

The dollar sank Tuesday as two Republican senators rejected their party's bill to repeal Obamacare, effectively killing it and throwing Donald Trump's economic agenda into doubt.
"European equities are suffering under a weaker dollar after the Republican healthcare bill once again failed to achieve US congressional approval, denting hopes of Trump stimulus and adding to poor US data that has cut the odds of a September rate hike," said Accendo analyst Mike van Dulken.
The pound retreated on official data showing annual British inflation unexpectedly slowed to 2.6 percent in June, dimming the prospect of a Bank of England interest rate hike any time soon.
Since Trump's election victory in November, the dollar has soared along with global markets on hopes his big-spending, tax-cutting policies would fire up the world's top economy and fan inflation.
But seemingly never-ending crises have hobbled his presidency from the start, with opposition to Trump's controversial health care reforms-crucial to freeing up cash-raising questions about his ability to push through other big-ticket measures.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $526 million multitranche financing facility (MFF) to help sustain and increase infrastructure investments in Bangladesh, particularly in financing public-private partnership projects as well as renewable energy interventions, says a press release.
The assistance consists of a $500 million market-based loan to finance medium and large-scale PPP infrastructure projects, and a $26 million concessional loan to finance small and medium-sized renewable energy and energy efficiency facilities, primarily in the rural areas of the country.
Both loans are under the Third Public-Private Infrastructure Development Facility (PPIDF 3).
A $750,000 technical assistance was also approved from the Financial Sector Development Partnership Fund to further strengthen the capacity of the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a state-owned financial institution mandated by the Government of Bangladesh to promote and finance PPP projects.
"Infrastructure development is an integral part of Bangladesh's rapid economic growth, but it is undeniable that in order to sustain this growth, the country would need an increased investment in infrastructure that can be filled in by the private sector," Peter Marro, an ADB Principal Financial Sector Specialist, was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
"We hope to continue our contribution to the country's infrastructure development through PPIDF 3."
Bangladesh has recorded steady average growth of 6.3% between 2011 and 2015, enabling it to attain lower-middle income status in July 2015.
But real gross domestic product (GDP) growth would need to reach an average annual rate of 7.4% during the 7th Five Year Plan to move Bangladesh toward upper middle-income level, said the ADB statement.
Such targets, it said, will require a substantial increase in public and private investments from about 29% of GDP in 2015 to 34.4% by 2020.
The gap in infrastructure financing alone is estimated at between 5% and 6% of GDP or a shortfall of $9 billion to $10 billion a year.

Safiul Alam Khan Chowdhury, Additional Managing Director of Pubali Bank Limited, inaugurating a workshop on \"AML, ICC, Foreign Remittance, Sanction Screening, Ethical Banking and FATCA\" at its head office recently. General Manager and RM of Dhaka Centra