Cash remittances reach USD 2.7 billion in April 2026

Cash remittances from overseas Filipinos reached USD 2.72 billion in April 2026, up 2.0 percent from USD 2.66 billion in April 2025, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported June 15.

The BSP said the continued growth in cash remittances reflected the resilience of overseas Filipino remittances amid prevailing global economic conditions.

Personal remittances, which include cash sent through banks and informal channels as well as remittances in kind, rose 2.1 percent to USD 3.04 billion in April 2026 from USD 2.97 billion in April 2025, according to the BSP’s Department of Economic Statistics.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, personal remittances rose to USD 3.34 billion in April 2026, up 0.4 percent from the previous month. The BSP said the increase highlighted the sustained role of overseas Filipinos in supporting household finances and consumption.

By source, cash remittances from land-based workers rose 2.1 percent to USD 2.12 billion in April 2026 from USD 2.08 billion in April 2025. Cash remittances from sea-based workers increased 1.9 percent to USD 0.59 billion from USD 0.58 billion.

For the first four months of 2026, personal remittances reached USD 12.70 billion, up 2.7 percent from USD 12.37 billion in the same period in 2025. Cash remittances for January to April 2026 totaled USD 11.40 billion, up 2.6 percent from USD 11.11 billion a year earlier.

Land-based workers’ cash remittances for January to April 2026 rose 2.6 percent to USD 9.05 billion from USD 8.82 billion in the same period of 2025. Sea-based workers’ cash remittances increased 2.5 percent to USD 2.34 billion from USD 2.29 billion.

The United States remained the dominant source of cash remittances, accounting for 39.7 percent of the total for January to April 2026, followed by Singapore at 7.3 percent and Saudi Arabia at 6.4 percent, the BSP said.

Other source countries for the period included Japan at 5.1 percent, the United Arab Emirates at 4.6 percent, the United Kingdom at 4.4 percent, Canada at 3.1 percent, Qatar at 2.9 percent, Taiwan at 2.8 percent, and Hong Kong SAR China at 2.7 percent, with other countries combined accounting for 21.0 percent.

The BSP said the geographic distribution of remittance sources indicated stable concentration. It noted limitations in the data by origin, as the United States appears as the main source largely because remitting and correspondent banks are mostly located there, and the data does not imply that the funds were generated within the United States.

Among land-based workers, the United States accounted for 41.8 percent of cash remittances for January to April 2026, followed by Saudi Arabia at 8.0 percent, Singapore at 6.3 percent, the United Arab Emirates at 5.7 percent, and Japan at 4.4 percent, with other countries comprising 33.9 percent.

Among sea-based workers, the United States accounted for 31.4 percent of cash remittances for the same period, followed by Singapore at 11.3 percent, Japan at 7.9 percent, Germany at 5.6 percent, and the United Kingdom at 5.3 percent, with other countries comprising 38.6 percent.