"With banks and money transfer agents closed, migrants struggle to send money home," 20 Apr 2020

Migrant workers are struggling to send their remittances home because banks and money transfer services have shut, due to lockdowns both in the Gulf states and their home countries.  This means workers’ families are struggling to make ends meet, unable to pay schools fees, rent, and medical care...

For migrant workers in the Gulf, high transfer fees already eat into the funds that they remit...

The picture is not all bleak though. Some money transfer services in the Gulf remain operational despite lockdowns, and a new crop of fintech companies that make mobile money apps aimed at migrant workers are gaining momentum.