Remittance Data Report for Asia Pacific Region Published by Visa in 2025
According to Visa's Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report for Asia Pacific, there is a growing preference for digital applications as the primary channel for sending and receiving remittances. This shift is driven by factors such as simplicity, security, privacy, and safety.
The report, which surveyed over 44,000 remitters, reveals that the top digital remittance trends in the region include:
- Digital applications dominate remittance usage: India leads with 74% of senders and 76% of receivers using digital apps, followed by the Philippines (74%/66%), Singapore (70%/75%), and Japan, which has seen a 10% increase in usage to 58% senders and 56% receivers.
- Speed and trust are the primary factors: When choosing remittance methods, speed and trust are more important than transaction fees.
- User experience focus on simplicity, safety, privacy, and security: These factors are critical to the ongoing shift towards app-based remittances.
- Asia Pacific as a key hub in the global remittance ecosystem: The region plays a significant role within the $905 billion worldwide remittance market.
These insights highlight the evolving expectations of remitters in Asia Pacific for quick, safe, and convenient digital remittance solutions. This trend presents opportunities for fintech, banks, and remittance providers to innovate in app-based services.
Key Challenges
While digital remittances are on the rise, some challenges remain. Inconvenience and long travel distances continue to be key challenges for sending physical remittances in India and Mainland China. Australia and Singapore note the process as inconvenient and time-consuming alongside concerns about high fees. High fees were noted as the top pain point for sending physical remittances across all markets, with the Philippines, India, Singapore, and Australia leading the responses.
Remittance Rationale
The report also highlights that the remittance rationale varies across the Asia Pacific region, suggesting different motivations for sending and receiving remittances. In Mainland China, India, Singapore, and Australia, sending remittances for a humanitarian need is a key reason.
Security Concerns
Digital apps are viewed as the most secure way to send and receive remittances in Asia Pacific, with top responses from India, Australia, and Singapore. Across most Asia Pacific countries surveyed, the perceived security of physical remittances was low (3%-6%), with Mainland China reporting slightly higher levels of confidence (10%-12%).
Collaboration and Efficiency
Visa works in collaboration with global remitters like MOIN, WireBarley, Money Chain World Remittance, and EzRemit to help enable efficient money movement through digitised remittances.
Conclusion
The report underscores the growing preference for digital remittances in Asia Pacific, with speed, trust, and security being the primary factors driving this shift. As the region continues to embrace digital remittances, opportunities for innovation and efficiency in the remittance industry are abundant.
[1] Visa. (2025). Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report. Retrieved from Visa's website
[2] Visa. (2024). Money Travels: 2024 Digital Remittances Adoption Report. Retrieved from Visa's website
[5] Visa. (2023). Money Travels: 2023 Digital Remittances Adoption Report. Retrieved from Visa's website
- The growing preference for digital remittances in the Asia Pacific region has opened avenues for collaboration between fintech, banks, and remittance providers in the development of app-based services, which can be seen as a business opportunity in the technology sector.
- The shift towards digital applications for sending and receiving remittances, as revealed in Visa's annual reports, suggests that finance institutions should prioritize technology advancements to ensure the safety, privacy, and security of their digital remittance services, as these factors are critical to the ongoing trend.