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Is there a case for for-purpose remittances?

Remittances act as key sources of financial support for households: They reduce the likelihood of impoverishment, contribute to improved health and education, and provide greater resilience to financial shocks. To maximise remittance impact from the United Kingdom to these countries, this research investigated remittance senders’ demand for for-purpose remittance products and whether these products could lead to increased formal remittance flows, improved customer retention and increased customer acquisition.

There are two types of for-purpose remittance products:

Labelling is when remittances are sent to an individual with an intended purpose attached (e.g. sending your grandmother GBP100 with a note that says the money is meant to cover her visit to the doctor).
Labelling with enforcement is when remittances are sent directly to an institution instead of an individual (e.g. sending GBP100 directly to the doctor’s office to pay for your grandmother’s appointment).
The findings indicate that survey respondents reported that they would not only take up for-purpose remittance products but that these products would result in them sending more money more frequently and/or to more people. Piloting for-purpose remittance products is the next step in validating the business case of such products.

  • Resource type
  • Author Kate Rinehart-Smit, Camila Haux, Antonia Esser, Laura Muñoz Pérez, Mia Thom
  • Organisation
  • Year of Publication2020
  • Region
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Number of pages39
  • Keywords

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