Hawala or hewala, originating in India as havala, also known as havaleh in Persian, and xawala or xawilaad in Somali, is a popular and informal value transfer system based on the performance and honour of a huge network of money brokers. They operate outside of, or parallel to, traditional banking, financial channels and remittance systems. The system requires a minimum of two hawaladars that take care of the "transaction" without the movement of cash or telegraphic transfer. While hawaladars are spread throughout the world, they are primarily located in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Hawala follows Islamic traditions but its use is not limited to Muslims.
Nasdaq Dubai is a Dubai-based stock exchange that lists regional and international shares in the Middle East. Through the exchange, regional issuers can access regional and international investment. International issuers can access investment from the region, through a primary or dual listing.
A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes with international aid as one of the largest financial inflows to developing countries. Workers' remittances are a significant part of international capital flows, especially with regard to labor-exporting countries.
Karnataka Bank Limited is an Indian private sector bank based in Mangalore. It is an 'A' Class Scheduled Commercial Bank with a network of 915 branches, 1188 ATMs & Cash recyclers and 588 e-lobbies/mini e-lobbies across 22 states and 2 union territories. It has 8,652 employees and over 11 million customers throughout the country. Its shares are listed on the NSE and BSE. The tagline of the bank is "Your Family Bank Across India."
Euronet Worldwide is an American provider of global electronic payment services with headquarters in Leawood, Kansas. It offers automated teller machines (ATM), point of sale (POS) services, credit/debit card services, currency exchange and other electronic financial services and payments software. Among others, it provides the prepaid subsidiaries Transact, PaySpot, epay, Movilcarga, TeleRecarga and ATX.
Indians in the United Arab Emirates constitute the largest part of the population of the country. Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the United Arab Emirates, with over 38% of the country's total population and the fourth highest number of overseas Indians in the world, after the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of resident Indians who initially migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum. Now, Indians are key to the UAE's construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and transport sectors. A sizeable minority of Indian migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been very friendly.
The Muthoot Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. It has interests in financial services, information technology, media, healthcare, education, power generation, infrastructure, plantations, precious metal, restaurant, and hospitality. Muthoot Group operates in 29 states in India, and has presence in Nepal, Sri Lanka, US, UK and UAE. The group manages assets of over $4.5 billion. It is owned and managed by the Muthoot family.
Xe.com (Xe) is a Canada-based online foreign exchange tools and services company headquartered in Newmarket, Ontario. It is best known for its online currency converter application that offers exchange rate information, international money transfers, and other currency-related services via its website, mobile apps, and other online channels. It has been a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide since 2015.
Remittances to India are money transfers from non-resident Indians (NRIs) employed outside the country to family, friends or relatives residing in India. India is the world's top receiver of remittances, claiming more than 12% of the world's remittances in 2015. Remittances to India stood at US$110 billion in 2022, US$125 billion in 2023 and remittances from India to other countries totalled US$5.710 billion, for a net inflow of US$63.258 billion in 2017.
Dr Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty, commonly known as B.R. Shetty, is an Indian-born businessman and former billionaire, the founder and acquirer of a number of companies based in the United Arab Emirates, including Abu Dhabi–based NMC Health, Neopharma, BRS Ventures, and Finablr.
A non-bank foreign exchange company also known as foreign exchange broker or simply forex broker is a company that offers currency exchange and international payments to private individuals and companies. The term is typically used for currency exchange companies that offer physical delivery rather than speculative trading. i.e. there is a physical delivery of currency to a bank account.
UAE Exchange is a United Arab Emirates-based company dealing primarily in remittance, foreign exchange and bill payment services. The company is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and operates through 800 locations across 31 countries either as UAE Exchange, or Unimoni.
The Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) is a financial and commodity derivatives exchange located in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. DGCX commenced trading in November 2005 as the first derivatives exchange in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The Exchange is owned by the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC).
Stellar, or Stellar Lumens (XLM) is an open-source, decentralized cryptocurrency protocol for digital currency to fiat money low-cost transfers which allows cross-border transactions between any pair of currencies. The Stellar protocol is supported by a Delaware nonprofit corporation, the Stellar Development Foundation, though this organization does not enjoy 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status with the IRS.
Ria Money Transfer is a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide, Inc., which specializes in money remittances. Ria initiates transfers through a network of agents and company-owned stores located throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and online. Ria is one of the big four remittance companies.
WorldRemit is a digital cross border remittance business that provides international money transfer and remittance services in more than 130 countries and over 70 currencies. It was founded in 2010 by Ismail Ahmed, Catherine Wines, and Richard Igoe.
Transfast is an international money transfer and cross-border payments company headquartered in New York, with additional offices in India, the UAE, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Transfast is owned by Mastercard.
Merchantrade Asia (Merchantrade) is a financial service company based in Malaysia. The company's business is centered on international money transfers, foreign currency exchange, wholesale banknotes, digital payment processing and mobile telecommunications. They also introduced microinsurance as part of their service offerings.
Remitly is an American online remittance service based in Seattle, United States that offers international money transfers to over 170 countries. It was founded in 2011 by Matthew Oppenheimer, Josh Hug, and Shivaas Gulati and became publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange in September 2021.
Adeeb Ahamed is a UAE-based billionaire businessman of Indian origin from the state of Kerala. He is the managing director of LuLu Financial Holdings, Tablez, and Twenty14 Holdings. Adeeb is a member and sits on the advisory board of the World Economic Forum's South Asian Regional Strategy Group (RSG). He also holds advisory positions at various organizations, including the Al Maryah Community Bank in the UAE.
