South Africa's Absa and Thunes Launch Digital Remittance Service Targeting 18 Countries

A new contender has entered the cross-border remittance space. Absa, one of South Africa's largest banks, partnered with global payments network Thunes to launch Absa Global Pay on March 3 — a digital-first service that lets customers send money to 18 countries from their Absa banking app.

How it works

Absa Global Pay supports three delivery methods: direct bank deposits, mobile wallet credits, and cash pickup. Recipients in markets like Kenya, India, Pakistan, Malawi, and Zimbabwe can choose whichever method suits them best. Absa and Thunes describe it as offering "instant settlement", with real-time notifications and full visibility of each transfer.

Six of the 18 markets are in the first release: the UK, Kenya, India, Malawi, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

The Thunes connection

Thunes, a Singapore-based payments network, connects over 130 countries through direct integrations with mobile wallets, banks, and cash-out networks. The company has quietly become a key infrastructure player in emerging-market payments, powering the backend for several well-known remittance brands. Its partnership with Absa gives the bank instant access to payout infrastructure that would have taken years to build independently.

Competitive implications

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most expensive region to send money to, according to the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide data. New entrants like Absa Global Pay inject competition into corridors that have traditionally been dominated by Western Union, MoneyGram, and a handful of regional operators. More competition typically means lower prices — a pattern we've seen play out in mature digital corridors like USA to Nigeria and UK-to-Philippines. For a deeper look at these trends, see our 2026 global remittance trends report, or compare costs right now using our guide to the cheapest ways to send money internationally.