dLocal and Western Union have expanded their partnership in Africa to include remittance payouts, starting with Cameroon.
Uruguay-based dLocal and Western Union already work together on collections in Africa. The expanded agreement adds the disbursement leg of the remittance flow, with dLocal supplying the technology and connectivity layer, while regulated local partners execute the payment and payout services. The rollout begins with a live payout corridor in Cameroon.
Wallet-based payouts in Cameroon
The companies describe Cameroon as one of the region’s more fragmented, wallet-based markets. Under the new set-up, recipients in the area can receive remittances directly into supported local wallets. Funds are disbursed through local payout partners, either mobile network operators (MNOs) or financial institutions, which operate under the applicable local regulatory frameworks.
The two companies report that recipients in the market haven’t had many trustworthy options for receiving cross-border funds in the past. The current corridor is designed to deliver money through payment methods recipients already use in their daily lives, while extending the reliability available to senders through to the point of receipt.
In addition, the arrangement consolidates Western Union’s collections and payouts with a single partner. The companies consider this to be a basis for further development of digital remittance corridors across emerging markets.
Treating collections and payouts as one problem
Agustin Botta, Head of EMEA at dLocal, noted that collections and payouts have traditionally been handled as separate problems, adding that the two companies are working towards building a more consistent path from send to receipt.
The approach reflects dLocal’s broader platform model. Through its ‘One dLocal’ offering, built around one API, one platform, and one contract, the company enables businesses to accept payments, send payouts, and settle funds globally without managing fragmented integrations or local entities. dLocal connects global enterprises with consumers across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Western Union provides cross-border, cross-currency money movement services in more than 200 countries and territories and more than 130 currencies.
Future growth plans include Nigeria among the potential next markets
The partners are exploring an extension of the payout capability to other African markets, including Nigeria, where bank transfers and wallets would be supported. The move forms part of a wider effort to cover the full remittance journey across more emerging markets.
World Bank estimates put remittance flows into Sub-Saharan Africa at roughly USD 57 billion in 2024, underlining the scale of funds that depend on last-mile payout infrastructure. dLocal and Western Union describe the Cameroon launch as one step in building that reliability on a corridor-by-corridor basis.
