Jul 29

The globe is becoming more connected than in times past, and with that we can expect to see more people working and studying abroad. So when someone wants to transfer funds to Europe, it can be stressful determining the best form to use.

The first thing to look into when transferring funds is the cost. No matter how much you wire, you will be charged a fee depending on the amount. The most cost-efficient way to wire larger amounts is through a bank’s transfer service. Though all banks charge for this service, it is a flat rate, typically between $35 and $45. And if you are planning on transferring money to Europe you don’t have to worry about conversion rates since the bank receiving the money automatically converts the funds at the exchange rate for that day.
Using a bank is the most sheltered way to send funds to Europe, with the only downside being that the sender must have a bank account in the originating country, and the recipient must have an account where the funds can be sent. The problem here is that many people do not have a bank account, but this is when you would use a location-based service.

With these companies, you simply pay a fee, hand over the amount you would like transferred, and create a password or secret code. The recipient then goes to the location nearest them and hands over their name and the code in order to retrieve the money. The downside of this method is that you are limited in how much you can wire. The amount depends on the company, but usually the maximum you may send is $2,000.00. And just as with banks, the cash is converted once it arrives at its destination, but you will see the fee for converting the funds is less favorable than you would find at a bank.

Thanks to the internet, new services are blossoming all across the world, allowing people to transfer funds to Europe right from the comfort of their living room. It is services like these that are rewriting the rules on how people wire money around the world, and it is rapidly becoming a massive building block of global e-commerce. Some services even expanded to allow consumers to wire money from a credit card or bank account to one of their hundreds of locations.

This rapid globalization we are bearing witness to is bringing e-commerce right to our doorstep, and one day it won’t matter where you are – you will be able to wire money in the blink of an eye.


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Jun 26

With the widespread alarm of terrorists ever-present, the regulations placed on money transfers to Pakistan have changed drastically. Of the many ways to wire money, some are of course better than others.

Politics in the country of Pakistan have had a drastic affect on businesses that were once successful. What were once reliable options now look to be inconsistent. And with the country’s current conditions, the best way to transfer money is through a credible institution.

One of the more reliable options is through the S.W.I.F.T. wire transfer system, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. S.W.I.F.T. does not store and manage accounts as banks do, instead the sole responsibility of S.W.I.F.T. is to move data from bank to bank. All transactions are registered with both banks involved, and are sometimes monitored by governmental agencies. A major drawback of wire transfer systems is that both persons are required to have a bank account with that particular institution. The sender must have an account in the country the money is being sent from, and the recipient must present their account number. This option is reliable and only takes about two or three days depending on the bank, but can cause some big problems if the person you need to get the cash to does not have a bank account.

If your recipient does not have a bank account, another viable option is a location-based service. These businesses are located all over the world and charge a fee based on the amount transferred. Unfortunately, there is a restriction in place as to the amount you can wire. And although you might be able to send multiple transfers, it would significantly dent your wallet and some services allow no more than one transfer to the same person on any given day.

The most ancient form of money transfer to Pakistan is the hawala. With roots in Islamic law and the good old-fashioned honor system, this service is now illegal after terrorists began using it for money laundering. With this option, the sender would pay a hawala broker a small fee, and in turn the broker would call the location where the money was to be sent, then promise to reimburse the other hawala broker for completing the deal. This way of conducting business is still being used today, but is no longer seen as a legitimate, legal form of money transferring.

As it stands, the most practical way to send funds remains through online cash transfers or a specialized wire transfer service.


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May 25

The United States has stern restrictions in place when it comes to any business transactions or travel from the U.S. to Cuba, but even despite all the trade embargoes, it still is not impossible to export money to Cuba.

It’s difficult to figure exactly how much money is transferred into Cuba on a yearly basis, but many independent groups say between 490 million to one billion is transferred into Cuba in one year. As low as that figure may appear, it is a lot given the fact that only people with relatives may send money at a $300 limit per transaction. U.S. citizens can, however, move money into Cuba every three months for up to $1,200.00 a year.

Although U.S. officials are alert to the illegal ways to transfer money to Cuba, most often they look the other way. During George Bush’s tenure had the greatest affect over the last few years, but even still they were powerless to slowing the money trafficking from the U.S. to Cuba.

So now the U.S. is led by President Obama, whose administration inclines toward repairing the U.S. relationship with Cuba. It is yet to be been determined how this will affect money transfer services in the future, but at the least we know it can only get easier in with every day that passes.

Don’t be mistaken though, despite the rules on sending money into Cuba, the easiest way is still by sending the money online. Besides that, senders also have the option of using different services which are not in association with U.S. banks, so they are restricted by any of the embargoes mentioned above.

Even despite the sanctions, people needing to wire money to Cuba have the same options other nations do. And the popularity of the internet is making it even easier to send money, considering Cuba’s Government lacks the means to oversee all the transactions.

Most likely, the trade embargoes imposed by the U.S. are deciding factor as to why the Cuban government has such a hard time when it comes to tracking money flow. This creates a difficult situation because if the sanctions are withdrawn, money transfers would be completely legal and the Cuban Government would be able to use the technology needed to watch over all money transfers into Cuba.

Whichever direction the industry heads, one thing is clear; people will still send money to Cuba. It’s getting less complex for Americans to transfer money to Cuba these days, and someday the trade embargoes will even be lifted. When that time comes money-flow into Cuba will grow notably, in addition Cuba will discover an increase in business dollars. Until then, the internet remains the best way to send money.


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