Visa has released its latest Money Travels: 2025 Digital Remittances Adoption Report, revealing that digital applications are now the preferred method for sending and receiving remittances across Asia Pacific. Based on responses from 44,000 remittance senders and receivers in 20 countries, the report identifies a major inflection point for digital money movement in a region historically reliant on cash transfers.
Asia Pacific, which includes several of the world’s largest remittance corridors, is experiencing a notable migration toward digital tools. The use of remittance apps reached a high of 76 per cent among receivers in India and 75 per cent in Singapore. In the Philippines, which is a major remittance recipient nation, 66 per cent of receivers prefer digital apps, while Japan saw a 10 per cent rise in digital usage year-on-year.
The preference is not just widespread but also intergenerational. The report shows that remitters of all age groups are embracing app-based transfers across the region. Singapore, the Philippines, and India lead the pack in digital adoption across all age cohorts.
The report highlights four core factors fueling this digital surge: ease of use, safety, privacy, and speed.
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In Singapore, for instance, over half of users cited ease of use as the top reason for choosing digital over physical methods. Digital apps were also perceived as the fastest way to receive funds by 73 per cent of respondents in the Philippines and 67 per cent in Singapore.
“Remittances have long driven growth across Asia Pacific,” said Chavi Jafa, SVP and Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, Visa Asia Pacific. “The shift to app-based remittances reflects regional demographics and a rising preference for simple, secure ways to send and receive money”.
While security and convenience outweigh other concerns, the cost of digital transfers still emerged as a key friction. Users in the Philippines (43 per cent) and India (36 per cent) cited app fees as a significant drawback, and high costs were also associated with physical remittances across all surveyed countries.
Nevertheless, the perceived safety of digital apps significantly outpaces that of physical channels. For example, only three to six per cent of respondents across Asia Pacific rated physical remittances as secure, while over 50 per cent of users in India and Australia saw app-based transfers as secure.
The rapid adoption of digital remittances suggests new opportunities for regional fintechs, banks, and global remittance partners.
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