Visa has published the results from its Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report based on 44,000 responses from senders and receivers in the APAC.
The study tracks remittance trends from over 20 countries and territories as billions of individuals rely on remittance services and platforms yearly. Visa works in collaboration with remitters such as MOIN, WireBarley, Money Chain World Remittance and EzRemit, to help enable efficient money movement through digitised remittances.
Key findings of the study
The study concluded that digital apps remain the most popular channel to send and receive money in the APAC region, with usage rates reaching 74%/76% in India, 74%/66% in the Philippines, and 70%/75% in Singapore. Japan is also experiencing growth, with digital app usage rising by 10% in 2025 compared to 2024. Most remittance users surveyed mentioned that they experienced no issues with sending/receiving digital remittance transfers across all Asian markets, most positively in Australia (48%/53%), Japan (37%/41%), Singapore (36%/37%), and Mainland China (38%/31%).
The primary reasons for sending and receiving remittances are contributing to accounts and investments, especially in Mainland China, Singapore, and Japan. Sending for general or specific humanitarian needs is also a key reason for remittances. In India, Singapore, and Australia, sending remittances for unexpected needs had the highest percentage amongst all rationale variations. Receiving regular funds was cited by approximately a third of respondents in the Philippines, Mainland China, and India.
Digital apps are viewed as the most secure way to send and receive funds in the region by India, Australia, and Singapore. Ease of use to send/receive digital remittances was noted most by respondents in Singapore (51%/51%), the Philippines (48%/54%), Japan (47%/42%), and Australia (42%/40%). Meanwhile, the perceived security of physical remittances was low, ranging between 3% and 6%, except for Mainland China, which has a slightly higher level of confidence of 10%-12%.
Additionally, high fees were noted at the main pain point for sending physical cash, and 36% of respondents in India and 27% of those in Mainland China cited long travel distances as a challenge. In Australia and Singapore, 29% of respondents each noted the physical remittance process as inconvenient and time-consuming, alongside concerns about high fees.
