- £400,000 of vouchers for NHS workers, to be used towards their international money transfers helping family and friends abroad
- COVID-19 sending waves through international money transfer market
- Shift to digital payout options: Mobile Money, bank transfers and airtime top-up
London – WorldRemit says ‘thank you’ to NHS workers who selflessly look after our loved ones, by helping them with vouchers worth £50 per customer to use towards the money they send home to look after their loved ones around the globe.
In England alone approximately 13% of the NHS workforce report non-British nationality1. Many others are second-generation migrants, with parents who made the journey to the UK to start a new life here. WorldRemit champions and supports migrants by helping them to send money abroad through a variety of options such as bank transfer, mobile money, and airtime, providing safe and convenient digital alternatives in addition to its cash pick up offering.
More information on how to access this offer is available here. The offer is available to new and existing WorldRemit customers with a valid NHS email address.
Breon Corcoran, WorldRemit CEO, said: “We hope this gesture will go a small way towards helping our NHS staff look after friends and families across the world as well as they are looking after the British public. You look after our loved ones, this is our way of being there for you.”
This gesture comes against the backdrop of an international money transfer market transformed by the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and nations.
As countries across the globe impose lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19, insights from international money transfer service WorldRemit show this is causing significant changes to the way people send money abroad.
In countries like the US, Canada, Spain, Italy and the UK where movement restrictions are in place, WorldRemit has seen an increase in customer acquisition throughout March. People who still need to send money abroad and have previously used traditional bricks and mortar agents are beginning to move to digital methods.
For the recipients of WorldRemit transfers, cash pick up is still available in most countries. However, data collected by WorldRemit in the last few weeks suggests that where cash pick up is limited due to lockdown, there has been a significant shift to digital. In countries such as Thailand and Fiji, the shift from physical payout to digital methods like mobile money, airtime top-up or bank transfers during the first half of March.
Breon Corcoran continued: “Over the last few weeks we have seen a shift towards digital money transfer in preference to physical cash methods and this is likely to continue for as long as COVID-19 continues to be a threat. While it’s likely we will see some customers return to cash as their preferred method in the medium term, overall this trend will only accelerate the move towards mobile money and other forms of digital payment.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
1 NHS staff from overseas: statistics, House of Commons library
For further information please contact
worldremit@powerscourt-group.com
Christine Longworth +44 (0)7557 405790
Jack Shelley +44 (0)7917 886576
About WorldRemit
WorldRemit is a leading UK fintech providing international money transfer services. We disrupted an industry previously dominated by offline legacy players by taking international money transfers online – making them safer, faster and lower-cost. We currently send from 50 to 150 countries, operate in 6,500 money transfer corridors worldwide and employ over 800 people worldwide.
On the sending side WorldRemit is 100% digital (cashless), increasing convenience and enhancing security. For those receiving money, the company offers a wide range of options including bank deposit, cash collection, mobile airtime top-up and mobile money.
Backed by Accel, TCV and Leapfrog – WorldRemit’s headquarters are in London, UK with a global presence including in the United States, Canada, South Africa, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
For more information visit www.worldremit.com
