WorldRemit Brings Mobile Money Remittances to Pacific Islands
London, United Kingdom (PRWEB UK) 19 August 2015 -- Money transfer service WorldRemit today launches instant remittances to mobiles in Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. Customers in 50 countries can now send money to Digicel Mobile Money wallets – just like an instant message.
WorldRemit’s mobile-to-mobile remittance service already enables people to send funds direct to Mobile Money wallets in countries across Africa, Asia and Oceania. Now the significant Fijian, Tongan and Samoan diasporas can make instant, low-cost money transfers direct to the mobiles of their friends and family back home.
Fiji, Tonga and Samoa are amongst the countries most dependent on remittances in the world, where they form a significant share of GDP. In 2014 remittances contributed an estimated $463m to their economies.
Mobile Money plays an important role in bringing the unbanked into the formal economy in many Pacific islands. The Digicel Mobile Money wallet is supported by the Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme. It aims in particular to support hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged women and people living in rural areas.
Funds sent to Digicel Mobile Money wallets can be immediately used to pay bills such as electricity or insurance, top-up airtime, make purchases in stores or online, or simply to store for future use. Digicel Tonga was also one of the first mobile operators globally to launch NFC contactless payments via Mobile Money in 2011.
Alix Murphy, senior mobile analyst at WorldRemit comments: “We’re pioneering mobile-to-mobile remittances for Pacific Islanders. Fijian, Tongan and Samoan expats can now send money direct from the WorldRemit app straight to the phones of their family or friends back home. We make sending money overseas as easy as an instant message.”
Ben Leong, WorldRemit Ltd, +44 2071486118 Ext: 210, [email protected]
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