Thunes has extended its Direct Global Network to Venezuela, enabling real-time payouts to bank accounts, mobile wallets, and cash pickup points.
The Singapore-based cross-border payments company Thunes announced that it gives Members of its Direct Global Network access to a new payout corridor in Latin America. These Members include banks, money transfer operators (MTOs), payment service providers (PSPs), and gig economy platforms. They can now send compliant, real-time transfers directly to millions of Venezuelan bank accounts through Credito Inmediato Interbancario, the local platform that supports instant interbank transfers.
Remittances and the gig economy
Inbound transfers play a significant role in the Venezuelan economy. According to Venezuela Network, remittances from the diaspora and other international transfers support around 35% of families in the country. They also support local businesses and freelancers who work in the global digital economy. Remittances to Venezuela in 2025 were estimated at roughly USD 6 billion, equivalent to about 7% of GDP. Around half of that volume came from the US.
Thunes has set out three areas the corridor is intended to address. The first is gig economy payouts, allowing platforms to pay Venezuelan freelancers in real time. Thunes points out that 89% of these workers live from one paycheck to another or have difficulty covering basic expenses. The second is financial inclusion, linking unbanked and underbanked people to local digital wallets and cash pickup points. Finally, the third is remittances, with the aim of giving recipient families faster and more predictable access to funds sent from abroad.
Alex Young, Chief Network Officer at Thunes, described the move as part of a wider effort to extend instant payment reach to more countries. Young identified Latin America as a key growth region for the company. Ximena Azcuy, Head of Network - Americas at Thunes, said the direct payout infrastructure is designed to reduce friction and delays for Network Members and the end users they serve.
Treasury and compliance infrastructure
The Venezuelan corridor runs on two of Thunes’ in-house systems. The SmartX Treasury System handles liquidity management. The Fortress Compliance Platform, which is backed by more than 50 regulatory licences globally, is used to keep payments in line with international compliance, anti-money laundering (AML), and security requirements.
The addition of Venezuela extends a network that, according to the company, already enables real-time payments in more than 140 countries and over 90 currencies. Thunes connects directly to more than 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets, and bank accounts, and to 15 billion cards, through over 220 payment methods.
When it comes to platforms and transfer providers serving Venezuelan recipients, the corridor offers a direct connection to the local instant payment rail. It also covers wallet and cash pickup options, a fact that matters in a market where many households rely on funds sent from abroad.
