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The debilitating cost of remittances

November 05, 2022
GZERO Staff
The Debilitating Cost of Remittances | Economic Empowerment | GZERO Media

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Dilip Ratha knows how hard it is to work abroad and send money home. Why? Because he had to go through the same hoops when he was a migrant.

It's the inconvenience and the cost, the World Bank's head of KNOMAD and lead economist says during a livestream conversation on closing the global digital gap hosted by GZERO in partnership with Visa.

Still, Ratha points out, these flows are a lifeline for millions of poor families around the world. And they keep the lights on in remittance-dependent economies like El Salvador or Lebanon.

With an average 6% commission, the amount lost each year is double all the aid that the US gives to the entire world or what sub-Saharan Africa gets.

Watch our recent livestream discussion on digital payments, the unbanked, remittances, and other tools for economic empowerment.

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