Sep 3, 2015
By Rebecca Rouse
There has been much conversation in recent months about the effective shut down of remittance services to Somalia from key sending markets such as the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. Somalia receives more than $1.3 billion in remittances a year, representing at least a quarter its GDP and far outweighing international aid. However, fears surrounding money laundering and terrorism financing have led banks to determine that holding remittance service provider accounts is simply too much of a risk, leading bank partners to drop their accounts until there were simply none left. Humanitarian workers fear that these moves will destroy the vital lifelines that keep many Somali families afloat. If remittances hold equal importance in some Latin American economies, should stakeholders fear that this trend could spread to our region?