WorldRemit launches with Android Pay to offer mobile-to-mobile transfers to the world's unbanked

Digital money transfer service WorldRemit has added Android Pay to its service, offering a new way for WorldRemit users to send money internationally and reach millions using mobile money accounts.

Pioneering a mobile-first approach to the $600bn-a-year remittance industry, the move sees WorldRemit bringing together the leading players in mobile money from Silicon Valley and Sub-Saharan Africa.

WorldRemit will enable Android Pay users to safely and securely send money to more than 112 million mobile money accounts accessible via its network. It's the only remittance provider offering international payments through Android Pay around the globe.

By connecting directly with Android Pay, WorldRemit customers can transfer money instantly across continents without entering credit card or 3DS details. Using mobile money, a customer can then pay for school fees, utility bills and groceries, among other things, directly from their mobile phones, without the need for 3G or Wi-Fi. As Android Pay is supported by industry standard tokenisation, payments are sent with a virtual account number providing an extra layer of security.

WorldRemit currently sends money to more mobile money accounts than any other operator in the world; around 600,000 transactions every month, sending from over 50 countries to more than 140 destinations. The company enables migrants to send money from their smartphones to be paid out in cash, paid into a bank account or into a mobile money account.

Alice Newton-Rex, VP of Product at WorldRemit, said: "Currently 60% of WorldRemit app users are on Android, which is also by far the most popular mobile operating system in the developing world, where two billion people are still unbanked, but critically half a billion use their mobiles as a bank account.

"This integration with Android Pay is the next logical step of our mobile first approach, and continues our commitment to providing greater financial inclusion.''

Pali Bhat, director, product management at Google, said: "We want to make it easier for organisations like WorldRemit to offer a simpler, faster in-app payment solution for their customers. With Android Pay, people will be able to speed through checkout with their Android phones in a few clicks."