How Women Drive Global Remittances & Why IWD 2025 is a Call to Action.
International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 isn’t just another hashtag or corporate shout-out. It’s a wake-up call.
This year’s theme, “Accelerate Action,” challenges us to do more, especially in areas directly impacting women’s financial independence. And one of the most overlooked? Remittances.
For millions of women across Africa and beyond, money sent from loved ones abroad isn’t just money. It’s survival. It’s school fees, healthcare, rent, and food. It’s the difference between opportunity and stagnation. Yet, despite being at the heart of remittance flows, women still face higher costs, greater financial exclusion, and systemic barriers that keep them from fully benefiting from these lifelines. Let’s talk numbers, the real impact, and why Africhange is pushing for a remittance system that helps and benefits all.
IWD isn’t just another hashtag or corporate shout-out. It’s a wake-up call.
Women and Remittances: The Untapped Potential for Growth
Women are vital in global remittance flows, both as senders and recipients. Their financial contributions sustain families, uplift communities, and drive economic progress. However, despite their crucial role, they often face unique challenges that limit their ability to maximize the benefits of these funds. Some of these challenges include:
- Immigrant women are key contributors to global remittances, often sending money back home at higher rates than their male counterparts. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), women make up nearly 50% of global migrants and frequently send a larger portion of their earnings despite earning less on average. However, they also face higher financial barriers, such as increased transaction costs and limited access to affordable remittance services, which reduce the overall impact of their contributions.
- In 2024, global remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) reached $685 billion, a critical financial pillar for millions. Yet, sending $200 still costs an average of 6.65% in fees (World Bank, 2024). That’s a loss for everyone, but for women, the cost runs even deeper. Since women earn 20% less than men globally (World Economic Forum, 2024), sending the same amount in remittances requires more labor, longer hours, or financial sacrifices.
- In many African households, over 40% of remittance-receiving families depend entirely on this income for essentials (UNCDF, 2024). But receiving money is only half the story. Many women, whether running small businesses or managing household expenses, often rely on cash pickups or informal savings groups because they don’t have easy access to banking services. Without a bank account or digital financial tools, it’s harder to save, invest, or plan beyond daily survival.
The opportunity to accelerate financial inclusion for women lies in reducing transaction costs, improving access to digital financial services, and promoting financial literacy.
The Hidden Costs of Sending Money Home
Women who send remittances often work in caregiving, domestic roles, and lower-paying jobs, not because they are women but because of systemic barriers that limit their access to higher-paying opportunities. They send money home more frequently, not just out of obligation, but because families often rely on them. Yet, despite their contributions, they face more challenges accessing affordable digital financial services, leaving them stuck with cash-based options that eat into their hard-earned money (World Bank, 2022).
For example, sending money from Canada to Nigeria through traditional channels costs up to 8% per transaction, meaning for every $100 sent, almost $8 is lost in fees instead of reaching the family that desperately needs it.
Women who receive remittances also face barriers to accessing and using digital financial services, often due to lack of digital literacy, mobile phone access, or restrictive policies that require formal ID or banking access. The result? More money moves through unsafe, informal channels.
Africhange Is Making Remittances Fairer and Easier for Everyone
At Africhange, we believe women shouldn’t have to jump through hoops just to receive or send money. And they definitely shouldn’t have to lose a chunk of it to high transaction fees. Here’s how we’re changing the game:
- Lower Fees, More Money for Women.
We’ve built a remittance system that cuts out excessive charges, ensuring more of your hard-earned money reaches its destination. Africhange offers zero hidden fees and highly competitive exchange rates, so women keep more of their money. Not just women, everyone. - Fast, Secure, and Hassle-Free Transfers.
No need to rely on unreliable cash pickups. Africhange allows smooth digital transfers straight to bank accounts, reducing security risks and delays. - Financial Inclusion for Women.
We’re committed to making remittances work better for women, not just as a means of support but as a gateway to financial stability. Through affordable and easy money transfers and bill payments, Africhange helps women stay in control of their finances, ensuring that more of their hard-earned money reaches where it’s needed most.
IWD 2025: Time to Accelerate Action
Remittances aren’t just about sending money. They’re about power, freedom, and opportunity.
This International Women’s Day, let’s move beyond lip service. Let’s accelerate action and create a world where every dollar sent by or to a woman actually reaches her, without unnecessary losses, delays, or restrictions.
At Africhange, we’re making that happen. Are you in?