Diaspora remittance is a major source of income for families and a major inflow volume for African countries. For many growing economies, diaspora remittances form a significant bulk of the GDP. Hence, a growth- however slight- in the rate has an instant effect on the people and their spending capacity.
Overall, remittances to developing countries increased by 4.9 per cent in 2019 to $554 billion. Nigeria and 47 other Sub-Saharan African countries increased their trade by 4.3 per cent to $48 billion in 2019, up from $46 billion in 2018.
For instance, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the country’s balance of payment account indicates that remittances climbed to $9.3 billion in H1 2021. That is a 15 per cent increase from the same period in 2020.
According to the Central Bank’s figures, Nigeria has received $115.15 billion in diaspora remittances over the last five years, while outflows were $1.18 billion, resulting in a net credit of $113.96 billion.
Foreign or diaspora remittances are the phrases used to describe the household income received from relatives, friends, and people living abroad.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) describes these inflows as cash and non-monetary things that move through legal channels such as electronic wires or through informal channels such as money or goods carried across borders.
Remittances “assist poorer receivers to meet basic requirements, fund cash and non-cash investments, pay education, promote new businesses, service debt, and ultimately, fuel economic growth,” according to research by the renowned accounting firm PWC Nigeria.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimates that six out of every 100 Nigerian households get remittances from abroad. These families get an average of N84,741 in diaspora remittances, with 80% of the money going toward basic needs.
Yet, sending and receiving funds in Africa is still posing a significant challenge for many. With many tech startups playing in the space, there is still the need for a process that is simpler and more efficient.
Read also: Nigeria’s diaspora remittances rose 15% to hit $9.3bn in H1 2021, the highest since the pandemic
Meet Taptap send
Meet Taptap Send a digital international money transfer service that helps Africans in the Diaspora to send money home swiftly at a low cost. With it, users in the UK, EU, US and Canada can send money to friends and family in a matter of minutes.
Taptap Send is available for download on the iOS App store and Google Play Store. Getting started with Taptap Send is easy. Senders have the option of signing in with their Apple Ids or Google accounts or signing up with their email.
To sign up, users input basic information; Full name, email address, phone number, and home address.
Design and functionalities
Taptap Send has a straightforward, clean user interface. It is designed to help customers experience ease as they make transactions.
The taskbar is located in the upper left corner of the app and contains about 5 features: Transfer History, Account, Payment Methods, Contact Us, and About to allow users to navigate the app, manage their account and help keep track of transactions
At the bottom of the taskbar is a bonus code. Each user has a unique code which can be shared with family and friends. When shared, users get $10 free with their first transfer.
Taptap Send’s Offering
Taptap Send offers the following features:
- Monthly transaction statements
- USD-Domiciliary account creation
- No sending limits among many other features that make sending money seamless
The app offers no fee on money transfers from the UK, Europe & Canada and a low fixed fee from the USA to Nigeria.
Once a profile is created, users can simply choose the destination country (Nigeria) and the amount to be sent, enter the recipient’s full name, and phone number, select the preferred payout method and the bank associated with the account, and confirm the transaction and click send.
The sender can only send with debit cards.
Read also: Philippines, Nigeria, Ghana are top destinations for diaspora remittances globally
Receiving Money with Taptap Send
Like other money transfer apps, Taptap Send allows recipients to receive funds through direct deposit or cash pick-up at a bank location.
Bank Deposit
Taptap Send allows receivers to receive funds directly to their bank account. Once money has been deposited, receivers get an alert to the phone number associated with the account.
Cash Pick-Up
Receivers may also opt to pick up funds from a physical bank location with zero cash-out fees! When the funds are available, receivers will again get an SMS alert with instructions on how to pick up funds from the bank.
Instructions include a unique code which the receiver would need to provide to the bank teller. At the bank, the receiver will present the bank teller with a valid ID, BVN, and the unique redemption code starting with ‘’swv—-’’, that was sent to them via SMS
User Feedback
We cropped some users’ feedback on the app vending platforms. Here are a number of for your consideration:
"My experience with Taptap Send has been good- and cheap! Taptap Send is a very good application, I use it to send money to my family. Even when I was in Ivory Coast on holiday I was using it to send money to myself" - Aye la Joie, London
"Taptap Send is a mind-blowing experience for me because of its great exchange rate, fast service and secure transferring process. Money was transferred within seconds and I even got an extra $10 the first time using this app. Will share it with my friends here in Canada!" -Trang, Toronto.
"Sending money has never been so easy! It's cheap, with a good exchange rate and it's so easy for my family to withdraw. It's like being in Senegal!😍" - Awa, Paris.
Conclusion
Overall, Taptap Send is one of the very good apps you can use to send money to Nigeria and other Asian and African countries.
Taptap Send boasts affordability, speed and security as part of its best features. The app charges a flat fee versus a percentage of the transaction and has no daily limits; making it particularly good for those who send large amounts of money.
While this flat fee structure is applicable only in the US, no fees are charged in the UK, Canada and EU.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!