Money transfer service WorldRemit has raised $45m in financing from TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. and Silicon Valley Bank. Pioneering a mobile-first approach to remittances, WorldRemit will use the funds to support its rapidly growing transfer volumes.

The WorldRemit app lets people send money straight from their smartphone, instead of having to travel to a money transfer agent. Those receiving money– often in developing countries – can collect the funds as Mobile Money, bank transfer, for cash pickup or as a mobile airtime top-up.

WorldRemit is the UK’s fastest-growing technology company (Deloitte Technology Fast 50 2015). The money transfer service generated $39m in revenue in 2015 – making it one of Europe’s biggest FinTech firms – and currently enables around 400,000 transfers every month.

 The latest financing will help WorldRemit expand its network of partners across the world, increasing availability of instant money transfers to customers. Remittances sent via traditional money transfer agents often take days to arrive.

Sajal Srivastava, President of TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp., explains: “We are delighted to join Accel Partners and Technology Crossover Ventures in support of WorldRemit’s continued international expansion. It is exciting to be involved with a service that delivers real benefits to people around the world while demonstrating impressive business growth.  WorldRemit represents what the FinTech revolution has to offer: – innovation, empowerment to individuals and new opportunities to the financial services industry.”

Phil Cox, Head of EMEA and President of UK Branch, at Silicon Valley Bank: “We’re pleased to play a part in driving WorldRemit’s impressive global expansion. Operating across the world gives WorldRemit diversified revenue streams and a huge customer base. This is a great story of tech for good – the social impact of connecting remittances to Mobile Money services in the developing world has been huge and looks set to continue.”

Ismail Ahmed, WorldRemit’s CEO & Founder, comments: “We want to give people the power to share money anytime, anywhere. This latest financing will help more people send instant money transfers to their loved ones through the WorldRemit app. WorldRemit will continue to build partnerships with Mobile Money services, banks and payout networks around the world so that our service becomes universal.”

WorldRemit has now raised $192.7m in funding to date.

[Source & Image Credit: World Remit]

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World Remit is a company that works tirelessly to enable people abroad remit money back home. World Remit is aware of the current challenges associated with remittances in Uganda and hence devised an ingenious way of making money transfers easy. WorldRemit and MTN Group today announced that WorldRemit customers can now send money instantly to MTN Mobile Money wallets in Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

The launch follows the signing of a global partnership agreement earlier this year, to enable WorldRemit customers all over the world to send international remittances to MTN’s Mobile Money customers.

“This partnership makes sense for both companies, as WorldRemit and MTN share a disruptive approach to innovation and bring impactful services to our customers. Together, we are now providing an instant, fully digital and very affordable solution to send international remittance to Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. Other countries will follow soon,” says Serigne Dioum, MTN Group Head of Mobile Financial Services.

“At WorldRemit, we are pioneering international mobile-to-mobile remittances. Our partnership with MTN allows our customers around the world to send money instantly from the WorldRemit app to MTN Mobile Money users in Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. Together with MTN, we make sending money home as easy as sending an instant message,” says Alix Murphy, Senior Mobile Analyst at WorldRemit.

The WorldRemit app is also very handy

She continues: “For diaspora members sending money to friends and family back home in these countries, Mobile Money is a real game-changer. In Uganda, Mobile Money has already overtaken cash pick-up and bank deposits as the preferred method to receive money. We expect this trend to continue as MTN’s Mobile Money services reach millions of people without bank accounts, giving them access to a variety of life-enhancing financial services including savings and insurance schemes.”

People in more than 52 countries already use the WorldRemit app to send around 400,000 money transfers every month to over 125 destinations. WorldRemit is the leading sender of remittances to Mobile Money wallets connecting to over 25 different services worldwide.

MTN Mobile Money enables users to perform utility payments, save money, purchase airtime and access a range of mobile financial products. To date, MTN Mobile Money is used by customers in 15 countries across Africa, i.e. Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Congo, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia.

In keeping with its aim to accelerate the rollout of international remittance, MTN launched a cross-border mobile money transfer service between Uganda and Rwanda in August. The service allows customers in both countries to transact via MTN Mobile Money with the same simplicity as for a local money transfer. MTN also offers a mobile money cross-border remittance service between Ivory Coast, Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. The remittance corridor between Kenya and Rwanda is the latest addition to MTN’s Mobile Money bouquet of services. It forms part of a major initiative between MTN and Vodafone, to enhance financial inclusivity in East Africa.

 In the six months to 30 June 2015, MTN grew mobile money subscribers by 45,8% to 32,4 million.