May 29 (SeeNews) - Remittances to Moldova by migrant workers rose 17.2% on the year to $396.3 million (338.4 million euro) in the first four months of the year, the central bank, BNM, said on Tuesday.
In April alone, remittances rose by 14.6% on the year to $98.81 million.
In April, money transfers from Moldovan workers in the EU countries made up 39.9% of the total volume of remittances, BNM said in a statement. The share of remittances from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) reached 28.1%, while 32% came from other states.
Most of the money transfers, 42.4%, were made in US dollars, followed by transfers in euro, 48.8% and in Russian rubles, 8.8%.
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 decreased by $5.89 million net in April, reaching $2.869billion.
($ = 0.8539 euro)