A team of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents from the United States went to Bangladesh to investigate whether the money sent through the Sonali Exchange was funding terrorist activities.

The managing director of Sonali Bank, Rabiul Hussain, who is now visiting the United States, said that the money being sent by Sonali Exchange, a subsidiary of Sonali Bank, is being delivered through bank accounts. So the money transferred by Sonali Exchange cannot be used for any kind of terrorist activities. The money sent by Sonali Exchange supports the relatives of the expatriates or helps retrieve property used as collateral.

He said that strong efforts have also been made to open a branch of the bank in the United States in the interest of the expatriates. A license has also been obtained to open a branch in Patterson, New Jersey and soon formal activities will begin to set up the branch.

Rabiul Hossain announced this on May 12 while the Chief Executive of Sonali Exchange, Kazi Asaduzzaman, was also present. Rabiul Hossain also said the bank applied to open branches in Washington D.C. , Florida, and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 2001, 93,000 people sent money to Bangladesh from the United States, and in 2002 the figure shot up to 157,000. The volume of remitted money also almost doubled. He said in 2001, the total amount of money remitted was $112 million while in 2002 the amount was $181 million. This year the flow increased compared to last year, said Asaduzzaman.

Rabiul Hossain said that the Jackson Heights branch of the Sonali Bank is remitting highest amount of money to Bangladesh while the Atlanta branch is remitting the lowest amount of money. He said that expatriates from the United States, Britain, and Saudi Arabia last year sent a total remittance of $1 billion; during the previous year the amount was $600 million. He said that, comparatively, the largest amounts of money are being received from Saudi Arabia, while the United States is the third largest remitter.