Remitly Expands WhatsApp Send to New Markets, Launches "Request Money" to Capture Growing Customer Demand
SEATTLE, April 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Remitly Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:RELY), a trusted provider of financial services that transcend borders, today announced the expansion of its WhatsApp Send offering to include additional country support and a new "Request Money" offering that allows recipients to initiate transfers, marking a meaningful step in Remitly's evolution from a trusted financial platform built for cross-border lives.
Recipients in Mexico Can Now Request Money
The money movement experience no longer has to start with the sender. In partnership with Elektra, Remitly has launched "Request Money," now allowing recipients who bank with Elektra in Mexico to initiate a transfer request directly. The sender receives a secure checkout link generated by the recipient via Elektra and can initiate the transfer in seconds — all via WhatsApp, no app download required.
Expanding Access Across Send and Receive Markets
Remitly is also expanding country support for WhatsApp send. In addition to the US, customers in the UK, Canada, and Spain can now send via WhatsApp to 14 countries, including our largest receiving markets: India, Mexico, and the Philippines.
"Our customers already use WhatsApp to stay connected; it's where their lives happen," said Ankur Sinha, Chief Product and Technology Officer of Remitly. "By bringing Remitly deeper into that ecosystem — and now giving recipients a voice in how that money moves — we are making the essential task of sending money home as easy as sending a text message."
Capturing Growing Demand in Latin America
This expansion comes at a pivotal time for the industry. 2025 marked one of the highest periods of cross-border payment volume growth to Latin America in two decades. This was driven in significant part by a continuing shift from cash to digital channels, with digital transactions industry-wide now accounting for roughly half of all volumes.1 The implementation of a 1% United States federal tax on cash remittances, effective January 1, 2026, is expected to accelerate this shift further.
As a leading digital, cross-border money movement platform for customers transferring funds into Latin America, Remitly's Send via WhatsApp offering can be an important bridge for offline senders looking for a better way to send money home to their families. By meeting senders in the platform they already trust, Remitly can convert the digital-hesitant to digital-confident.
This year Remitly launched two complementary WhatsApp Send campaigns to increase awareness of the benefits of digital and in-app remittances, including "Skip the Line," a campaign focused on converting offline senders by sharing the relative cost advantages and convenience of digital money transfers, and a Community Ambassador program, leveraging grassroots ambassadors to onboard offline-first customers.
Strong Early Adoption
Since Remitly launched its WhatsApp Send offering last April, early adoption has been strong. Customers like Josue, a Canadian resident with family in Columbia, are leading that adoption. Josue discovered WhatsApp Send through an ad and was initially skeptical – it seemed too simple. After trying it, the app was able to surface his recipients instantly, and he initiated a transfer without downloading another app. Unique WhatsApp send sessions grew more than 62% in Q1 2026 compared to Q4 2025 as customers increasingly rely on WhatsApp Send to check live rates, initiate transactions, and resolve questions in real time.
About Remitly
Remitly is a trusted provider of financial services that transcend borders. With a footprint spanning more than 175 countries, Remitly has built one of the world's leading global money movement platforms, trusted by millions of customers. Remitly continues to evolve beyond a remittance company into a diversified, cross-border financial services provider, serving both consumers and businesses across a growing set of use cases.
Contacts
Media Inquiries:
Ali Sylte
press@remitly.com
Investor Relations:
Luv Sodha
ir@remitly.com
1 The Dialogue, "Remittance Transfers in 2025: The Year in Review"
