Viamericas, the Coral Gables, Florida money transmitter, expanded its payout network in Ethiopia and Morocco on 6 October 2026. Recipients in Ethiopia can now receive Viamericas remittance transfers by bank deposit or cash pickup, and recipients in Morocco by cash pickup or mobile wallet, according to the company’s release.

What the Viamericas remittance expansion adds

Viamericas is a licensed US money transmitter that sells international transfers, bill payments, check processing and mobile top-ups through a network of thousands of US agent locations. Founded in 1999, it says customers can reach more than 285,000 payout locations in 95 countries. Its head office is in Coral Gables, with an office in Los Angeles and operations centres in Mexico, Colombia and the Philippines.

In Ethiopia, which the release describes as among the fastest-growing remittance markets in Sub-Saharan Africa, recipients can collect cash or receive a bank deposit. In Morocco, they can collect cash or receive funds in a mobile wallet. Chief executive and co-founder Paul Dwyer said the expansion strengthens Viamericas’ ability to give families “reliable, flexible ways to send and receive money.”

Fintechbits analysis

Why Ethiopia is the more interesting corridor

Ethiopia’s remittance market changed when the National Bank of Ethiopia moved the birr to a market-based exchange rate in July 2024. Before the reform, a wide gap between the official and parallel rates pushed much diaspora money into informal channels, because senders got a far better rate outside the banking system. With that gap narrower, licensed providers have a much better case to win transfers that used to go through informal brokers.

That makes the timing of the Viamericas remittance push into Ethiopia sensible. The US has a large Ethiopian diaspora, and bank deposit plus cash pickup covers both urban recipients with accounts and rural families who rely on cash. The open question is price. In remittances, customers compare the total cost, including fees and the exchange rate margin, and the release gives neither.

Why the Viamericas model faces pressure

The Viamericas remittance business was built on agent locations, the neighbourhood shops where customers pay in cash. That model has been under pressure from app-based services that are often cheaper and faster. US policy has added another cost: a 1% federal excise tax on remittance transfers funded with cash or money orders took effect at the start of 2026, which falls most heavily on agent-based senders. Transfers funded from a bank account or card are exempt, which gives digital competitors a structural advantage.

The Viamericas remittance network has kept expanding on the payout side to stay competitive, including more than 10,000 cash pickup locations in Bangladesh and a direct banking partnership with RCBC in the Philippines. Other providers are targeting different groups of senders, such as Ualett’s remittance service for 750,000 gig workers, while the banking industry works on faster rails, including Swift’s Pay by Alias proposal.

What to Watch Next on Viamericas Remittance Corridors

For the new Viamericas remittance corridors, the useful next disclosure would be the names of Viamericas’ payout partners in Ethiopia and Morocco and the all-in cost of a typical transfer, which would let senders compare it with larger rivals. Watch also for Viamericas to add digital funding options that avoid the cash excise tax. More information on the company is on Viamericas’ corporate site. If its agent-based customers start moving to bank-funded transfers, Viamericas will need an app that competes on price as well as on payout reach.

Questions and answers

Can I send money to Ethiopia with Viamericas?

Yes. Since 6 October 2026, Viamericas recipients in Ethiopia can receive transfers by bank deposit or cash pickup.

How do Viamericas transfers to Morocco work?

Viamericas recipients in Morocco can collect transfers in cash or receive them in a mobile wallet, under the payout expansion Viamericas announced on 6 October 2026.

How big is the Viamericas remittance network?

Viamericas says senders can reach more than 285,000 payout locations in 95 countries, through thousands of US agent locations.