Leveraging remittances for development

Migrant remittances have become a major source of external development finance. They can play an effective role in reducing poverty. And they provide a convenient angle for approaching the complex migration agenda. ; Remittances are personal flows from migrants to their friends and families and should not be taxed or directed to specific development uses. Instead, the development community should make remittance services cheaper and more convenient and indirectly leverage these flows to improve financial access of migrants, their beneficiaries, and the financial intermediaries in the origin countries.