- The two firms will help the people of Fiji, who were hit by both a cyclone and the pandemic.
- People from five countries will be able to send money online via a fee-free process.
- “We’re proud to connect senders with their loved ones in Fiji now when they need help more than ever,” said a WorldRemit spokesperson.
Well-known telecoms brand Vodafone will enter into a partnership with a cross-border payments firm.
Vodafone is set to work alongside WorldRemit to enable some of its customers to send zero-fee international money transfers to Fiji.
WorldRemit will facilitate the transactions to individuals in Fiji, which can be made by Vodafone clients in the US, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the UK.
The transactions will come without remittance fees, and the scheme is designed to help individuals in Fiji who have been hit hard by both the coronavirus pandemic and also Tropical Cyclone Harold.
The transactions can be made either via the WorldRemit app or the website.
According to Bryce Currie, the vice president of business development for the Asia-Pacific at WorldRemit, the firm was “proud” about its role in the move.
“We expect to see a large increase in the number of transactions to Vodafone Fiji M-PAISA Mobile Money over the next few months, due to the devastating economic impact of the cyclone and COVID-19,” he said.
“Through this programme, we are making it easy for senders in five nations to quickly transfer money for free where it is most needed.”
“We’re proud to connect senders with their loved ones in Fiji now when they need help more than ever,” he added.
Shailendra Prasad, the head of eCommerce and corporate affairs at Vodafone Fiji, added that the “harsh realities” of the cyclone and the pandemic were now appearing in earnest.
“With the impact of Tropical Storm Harold on top of COVID-19, many Fijian families are affected twice and they need this source of income more than ever before,” Prasad said.
“As the world navigates through a very difficult period in our history, the harsh realities of the economic and psychological impact on people is now becoming an everyday concern.”
“We are pleased to have WorldRemit as our global digital partner in this endeavour,” Prasad added.
This new partnership is a prime example of leading firms responding to international need.
Fiji has been affected by two separate crises in the space of a short time, and Vodafone and WorldRemit are to be commended for stepping up to the plate.
However, it’s also worth giving some credit to the international organisations that create the space for this sort of arrangement.
It came about as a result of the United Nations’ Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme, and it’s worth praising this scheme and others like it for encouraging firms to play their role.
Do you want to learn more about the operation of the online money transfer sector? If so, head over to these news pages and read the latest.
