There’s no denying that the Philippines is one of the biggest remittance markets in the world. In fact, in 2021’s World Bank study, we’re in fourth place just behind India, Mexico, and China.
Despite this, Filipinos have no other option than bank and money transfer agents when sending money to their families back at home. Such options can be tiring and costly. But thanks to the advancements in technology, there’s now an easier way to do it.
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Rebecca Kersch, a Filipina-Dutch who graduated from Harvard, had the goal to make remittances as fast and as easy as texting. Hence, she developed an app called TANGapp, which is a wordplay on “tanggap”.
This peer-to-peer digital payments app lets our OFWs in the United States easily send money back home. Think of it as an “international GCash“.
To send money, both the sender and receiver should get the app and create an account. The sender will then have to link their bank accounts, while the receiver can link both a bank or e-wallet account.
Once all setup, all the sender has to do is type the receiver’s mobile number, input the amount, then click send.
SEE ALSO: How to transfer money from BPI to GCash for free
The developer noted that, as of the moment, they only support US-to-the-Philippines transfers. They are now currently working to have PH-to-US transfers soon.
What’s more, all transfers will have a flat rate of 3%, compared to the usual 8% cost. Kersch said that they even plan on lowering the 3% rate as the app gains more partners.
The app also features live exchange rates that are updated on an hourly basis. Plus, a low minimum transfer amount as users can send as low as USD5.00 with the same 3% fee. Those in the US can also send prepaid loads to their loved ones in the Philippines.
TANGapp aims to raise more funding from more investors and venture capital firms. They also plan on working with more charitable organizations in the Philippines and expanding their remote-first employees. While the company is based in Brooklyn, New York, the 12 full-time team are remotely working from different parts of the world.
You can get TANGapp on both Android and iOS devices.