LemFi review

Founded in 2020 and based in London, UK, LemFi is a digital remittance app. LemFi is authorised and regulated by FCA, FinCEN, FINTRAC, which means customer money is safeguarded separately from company funds.

On fees, LemFi charges nothing upfront on the majority of corridors (from $0 to $2.99 depending on corridor), but the bigger cost is usually the exchange-rate markup of 0% - 2% above mid-market, which is built into the rate rather than shown as a line item. Transfers run from a minimum of $1 up to $50,000 per transaction. In our own rate collection, across the 88 corridors we track for LemFi, its exchange rate has averaged 0.65% from the mid-market rate.

Delivery speed is quoted at minutes to 1 business day, and the service reaches 30+ countries across 20+ currencies. You can fund a transfer by Bank Transfer, Debit Card and Credit Card, with money delivered via Bank Deposit and Mobile Money. The mix of funding and payout options is a good guide to which corridors LemFi handles best.

On the plus side: strong rates on african and south asian remittance corridors, zero or low fees on most corridors and fast delivery — often within minutes. That makes it a sensible choice for reaching recipients who rely on mobile wallets in emerging markets. Worth keeping in mind: limited to remittance corridors (no major-to-major like usd→gbp) and no cash pickup option.