Global remittance startups rush into Asia counting on deregulation

UK unicorn to launch debit card service in Singapore and Japan

20190908 remittance transferwise

Customers receive money from families working abroad at a remittance center in Makati City, Metro Manila.  © Reuters

RURIKA IMAHASHI and WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Cross-border payment startups are rushing into Asia as deregulation of the sector has enabled online services to operate in the region, in a major threat to existing banks.

Among them, TransferWise, a U.K.-based online remittance company, will launch a debit card in Singapore in the next couple of months and in Japan next year. Founded in 2010, the company is valued at $3.5 billion, making it one of the most valuable unicorns -- private companies worth $1 billion or more -- in Europe.

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