Early in April, Leah Callon-Butler of Emfarsis wrote a piece for Coindesk, one of the most globally recognised crypto publications about the state of remittances in the Philippines during the COVID-19 crisis with a particular focus on cryptocurrency. You can read the full article here:
Filipino Pawnshops Bank on Crypto Remittances During Crisis
Leah spoke to Miguel Cuneta from Satoshi Citadel Industries (SCI) about their remittance product Rebit to learn more about the funds transfer habit of Filipinos.
A large part of the Philippines money remittance network is the pawnshop network with companies such as Cebuana Lhuillier who handle the last mile of fulfillment, actually providing the cash to the end recipient.
Leah recounts her personal experience in receiving and collecting Php 500 from Miguel at her local Cebuana outlet during the enhanced community quarantine.
“For Miguel and his family, moving the economy online could literally save lives.” said Leah. This only shows that getting good technology like money transfers or remittance network can definitely save us. Especially this time of the year when we are currently experiencing COVID-19. Essentially, online money transfer can lessen the chance of us getting the virus.
The articles finishes with a review of Cebuana’s recent investments into the blockchain space and comparing that to UBX’s efforts to unite rural banks in the Philippines via their i2i product.
Read the full article here:
Filipino Pawnshops Bank on Crypto Remittances During Crisis
Published: CoinDesk by Leah Callon-Butler (Apr 14, 2020)