Remittances play a crucial role in the African economy. Many families rely on them as a main source of money inflow. Still, sending money to African countries, be it Nigeria, Kenya, or Ghana, remains expensive and appealing to scams and fraud. With the arrival of new technologies, however, the landscape is starting to change. Fintech services, such as Profee, are enabling faster, safer, and more convenient remittances to Africa.
Profee interviewed over 200 customers sending money to Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana from Europe and the UK to understand what remittances are for Africans and African communities around the world.
African expats consider sending money home a cultural norm. Even when far away, Africans feel strongly connected to their families, stay in touch with them and send money regularly. There is an unofficial term even, the ‘Black tax’, which 40% of Profee clients use to describe the regular financial support they provide to their families back in Africa. – Ilya Bunin, CMO at Profee
Key characteristics of African remittance market in 2026
This ‘taxation’ happens in a very dynamic environment where factors like the speed and cost of transfers are important but so are security, usability, convenience, and so on. According to Profee experts, the fintech industry helps to address many of today’s weak spots.
· Delivery time. It is common for African families to rely on remittances from abroad to cover their basic needs, from paying utility bills to buying groceries to dealing with emergencies. Therefore, it is important to have a money transfer channel with relatively short delivery times. These are not guaranteed with wire transfers which can take up to several days because of the complex banking processes involved.
· Cost. When it comes to remittances, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most expensive region globally. According to the World Bank data, in Q3 2025, the average cost of sending $200 there stood at 8.46% compared to only 5.30% for similar transfers to South Asia. Notably, the cost for cash transactions to Africa exceeds 10% but for digital remittances, the numbers are much lower, around 5%.
· Security. Because of its robust growth and young ambitious workforce, the African market is a magnet for fraud. Anywhere, from employment opportunities abroad to crypto investments, it is hard to find an industry free from scammers. They exploit people’s vulnerabilities and, often, insufficient digital literacy, which brings the matters of trust and security to the forefront of interactions with any kind of digital service. This is especially true for remittances where money is involved. A reputable service must ensure the highest level of protection for its customers and keep them updated.
With all these issues being part of a routine, African expats are looking for money transfer services that are fast, reliable, and transparent in terms of both costs and operation. Profee manages to tick all the boxes and is rapidly winning over the African communities in Europe and around the world.
Profee: a modern solution
The best fintechs on the market offer a combination of usability, transparency, and top-level security. Here are Profee’s advantages for Africans sending money home:
· Customer-friendly, easy-to-use interface. The remittance process is streamlined, and money can be sent via Profee at any given moment, with fast delivery. There is an option to save the information such as a frequent recipient’s details, for example, and send transfers even faster. (Note that Profee does not share its customers data with third parties.)
· Transparency. With the cost of transfer being a major factor, providers often use the promise of lower costs to their advantage. Some services, for example, may charge zero fees but apply unfavourable exchange rates. Others may seem to offer great rates but, at a closer look, only for large amounts. In comparison, Profee’s customers benefit from fully transparent pricing. They always know exactly how much they pay and the amount delivered, before the transaction takes place.
· Security. Online payments is a field vulnerable to fraud; therefore, transfer services must ensure the tightest security measures for their customers. Profee implements the latest industry and regulatory standards such as end-to-end data encryption or two-factor authentication through password, SMS code, Face ID Efficient customer support is another security pillar, especially when backed up with real-time fraud monitoring that Profee employs.
· Convenient payouts methods. Available payout options are an important issue as recipients might not be tech-savvy enough, which is especially true for elderly family members. First of all, the recipient does not need an account with Profee to get the transfer. In Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana money is deposited directly to the recipient’s bank account, which is a traditionally reliable way to handle remittances for many African expats and their families. Profee also caters to the needs of those who have embraced mobile money. As of 2026, Profee customers can send money to Ghana with convenient payout options, including MTN, AirtelTigo, Vodafone Cash, and Telecel; for Kenya, it provides transfers to Airtel, Safaricom, and M-Pesa.
· Currency selection. Depending on the transfer’s purpose, Profee’s customers in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana have the option to select a currency. For example, remittances aimed to cover everyday expenses can be received in a national currency, NGN, KES, and GHS, respectively. Transfers can also be made in USD as an insurance against rate volatility, a contribution to the retirement fund, or for major purchases.
For African expats who need to financially support their families back home, there are a multitude of factors to be accounted for when sending remittances, from cost to security to payout options. How not to pay a fortune for a money transfer? How not to fall victim to fraud? Will the money arrive in time? Thanks to the evolution of fintech services, most of these issues automatically disappear with a proper provider. Profee has all the benefits expats from Africa need to send money home worry-free: the service is compliant with global security standards, offers convenient payout options, provides efficient customer support and holds a solid reputation with thousands of excellent reviews on TrustPilot and Google Play. As the example of Profee shows, fintechs are transforming money transfers to Africa into a reliable and faster service, minimising the risk of fraud and maximising customer satisfaction.
