About PlainRemit

Why Remittance Costs Need a Light Shone on Them

PlainRemit exists because we believe remittance cost transparency can keep more money in the hands of families who need it most. Every year, migrants send hundreds of billions of dollars home to support their families, yet high transfer fees quietly erode those lifelines. The World Bank publishes detailed cost data for international money transfers, but accessing and comparing it across corridors and providers has historically required navigating complex spreadsheets and database exports.

We built PlainRemit to make that data instantly accessible. Our mission is to help senders compare transfer costs across corridors and providers so they can make informed decisions and maximize the amount that reaches their families. Whether you are a migrant worker evaluating service providers, a researcher studying financial inclusion, or a policymaker tracking progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing remittance costs below 3%, PlainRemit puts the data at your fingertips.

We believe that cost transparency drives competition, and competition drives down fees. By making the World Bank's remittance pricing data searchable and comparable, we contribute to a more transparent global remittance market.

Our Data Sources and How We Process Them

All data on PlainRemit comes from two authoritative World Bank datasets:

• Remittance Prices Worldwide (RPW): The World Bank's flagship dataset on international money transfer costs, covering 377 country-to-country corridors. Costs are expressed as a percentage of a standardized $200 transfer and include both service fees and exchange rate margins. Individual provider pricing is tracked per corridor, including identification of the cheapest available option. Data is available from the Remittance Prices Worldwide database.
• World Development Indicators (WDI): Supplementary data on national remittance inflow and outflow totals from the World Bank WDI, providing annual national inbound and outbound remittance volumes in USD billions for 138 countries. These national totals are not allocated onto individual corridors.

We do not modify, interpolate, or editorialize the World Bank's figures. Every cost percentage, provider name, and flow volume is presented exactly as published by the source.

Our methodology preserves the integrity of the World Bank's original research design. We download the quarterly Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset and keep World Development Indicators national inflow and outflow totals on country profiles only. We do not allocate those national totals to corridors. Each corridor record preserves the original mystery-shopping methodology: costs are calculated as a percentage of a standardized $200 transfer, including both the explicit service fee and the implicit exchange rate margin (the gap between the mid-market rate and the rate offered to the customer).

Country profiles present national inflow or outflow context separately from route-level transfer-cost observations. Historical quarterly data enables trend analysis for any corridor, showing how costs have evolved over time. We index and organize the data to enable fast search and comparison across corridors, countries, and time periods, but we do not alter the underlying figures.

How Fresh Is a Corridor Quote

The World Bank releases RPW data on a quarterly basis, with each release reflecting mystery-shopping surveys conducted during the prior quarter. Our update schedule follows the World Bank's publication cycle. Pages show the processed RPW quarter, so a historical survey observation is never presented as a live quote.

Flow volume data from the World Development Indicators is updated annually. Historical corridor pricing data extends back to 2011, providing over a decade of quarterly cost trends. The last updated date is displayed on individual corridor and country pages. Because transfer costs change frequently between World Bank surveys, the data shown reflects the most recent quarterly snapshot, not real-time pricing.

Independence From Money Transfer Operators

Content on PlainRemit is compiled by our editorial process. Raw data from the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide (RPW) and World Development Indicators (WDI) datasets is transformed into readable corridor and country profiles, validated against the source before publication. PlainRemit's editorial process is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from financial firms, banks, advisors, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense, advertisers do not influence which entities we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Limitations of a Corridor Cost Percentage

• Not real-time pricing. Transfer costs shown are from the World Bank's most recent quarterly survey. Actual costs at the time of transfer may differ due to exchange rate fluctuations, promotional offers, or fee changes by providers.
• Standardized transfer amount. All cost percentages are based on a $200 transfer. Costs for larger or smaller amounts may vary significantly, as some providers charge flat fees that represent a different percentage at different transfer sizes.
• Corridor coverage is not exhaustive. PlainRemit currently publishes 377 corridors from the World Bank RPW release, which represent the most significant remittance flows. Many smaller corridors are not covered.
• Provider availability varies. Not all providers listed for a corridor may be available in every location within the sending country. Availability depends on agent networks, regulatory approvals, and local market conditions.
• Not financial advice. PlainRemit provides data for informational purposes only. We do not recommend specific providers or guarantee that any provider will offer the rate shown. Always verify current rates directly with service providers before sending money.

PlainRemit is not affiliated with the World Bank, any money transfer operator, or any government agency. We are an independent data portal providing public information in a more accessible format. We do not receive commissions or fees from any transfer service.

Get in Touch

For questions, feedback, or data correction requests, email hello@plainremit.com. We welcome input from researchers, advocacy organizations, and anyone working to reduce the cost of sending money across borders.