Remittances to Moldova by migrant workers rose 16% on the year to $640.3 million (553 million euro) in the first six months of 2018, the central bank, BNM, said on Friday.
In the second quarter alone, remittances rose by 14.2% on the year to $342.59 million, BNM said in a statement.
In the second quarter of 2018, money transfers from Moldovan workers in the EU countries made up 39.9% of the total volume of remittances. The share of remittances from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) reached 29.2%, while 30.9% came from other states.
Most of the money transfers, 38.1%, were made in US dollars, followed by transfers in euro, 32.9%, and in Russian rubles, 4.9%.
An estimated one-third of Moldova's economically active population is currently working abroad, making remittances the single most important net source of foreign exchange in Moldova.
Remittances sent to Moldova by migrant workers rose 11.1% on the year to $1.199 billion in 2017.
The foreign exchange reserves held by Moldova's central bank increased by $57.06 million net in June, reaching $2.842 billion.
($ = 0.8637 euro)