Paying an international contractor or overseas supplier shouldn’t feel like a project in itself. Yet for many small business owners, it often does. Bank wires come with steep fees and unpredictable exchange rates. Some fintech platforms require you to open new accounts, pre-fund balances, or walk recipients through onboarding steps before a single dollar moves. That’s a lot of overhead for what should be a straightforward transaction.
Remitly Business is built around a different idea: you should be able to pay people globally without rebuilding how your business already operates. No new bank accounts. No wallets. No complex setup. Just international payments that fit into your existing workflow—using the bank account, debit card, or credit card you already rely on.
This guide explains what Remitly Business is, who it’s designed for, how it works step by step, and how it compares to the alternatives.
What Is Remitly Business?
Remitly Business is a cross-border payments solution designed specifically for small businesses. It lets owner-operators and small businesses send payments to contractors, freelancers, vendors, and partners in 175+ countries across 100+ currencies—without opening a new bank account or requiring recipients to sign up for anything.
The focus is on simplicity and predictability. Pricing is shown upfront. Delivery timelines are clear before you confirm. And recipients can receive funds via bank deposit, mobile wallet, or cash pickup, depending on availability and what works best for them.
Remitly has transferred billions of dollars globally and is trusted by millions of customers worldwide. For small businesses making their first international payments—or trying to make recurring ones less painful—it’s a solution that removes friction at every step.
Who Is Remitly Business For?
Remitly Business is built for small businesses that are paying people internationally, often for the first time or on a recurring basis. That includes:
- Solo founders hiring their first overseas contractor
- Small agencies paying freelancers in different time zones
- E-commerce businesses working with international suppliers
- Small businesses managing recurring operational payments abroad
The common thread? These are business owners managing payments themselves—not finance professionals with dedicated treasury teams. They want something that works without requiring them to become experts in foreign exchange or international compliance.
The pain points are real: high bank wire fees, confusing FX rates, fear of sending funds to the wrong account, and the mental load of manually entering sensitive payment details. Remitly Business is designed to address all of these.
How Remitly Business Works
Here’s a clear, step-by-step breakdown of the payment process.
Step 1 — Create and Verify Your Business Account
Signing up is simple. There are no monthly fees, no minimum balance requirements, and no long-term commitment. You create your account and you’re ready to send.
Step 2 — Add a Recipient and Payment Amount
Enter your recipient’s email address and the amount you’d like to send.
Step 3 — Send Money
Send your payment using your existing bank account, debit card, or credit card. There’s no wallet to manage and no balance to pre-fund. You pay directly from what you already have.
How Remitly Business Compares
Remitly Business vs. Bank Wires
Bank wires have long been the default for international business payments—but they come with real drawbacks for small operations. Fees are typically high, sometimes reaching $25–$50 per transfer or more. Exchange rate spreads are often buried in the fine print. And some delivery methods, like bank transfers, can take three to five business days.
Remitly Business offers lower costs, faster delivery, and transparent pricing shown upfront. For recurring operational payments—paying a contractor at the end of each month, for example—the savings and simplicity add up quickly.
Remitly Business vs. Fintech Wallet Platforms
Some fintech platforms are built for larger businesses or require both parties to maintain accounts and balances within the platform. That’s a reasonable setup for some use cases, but it can add friction for small businesses that want to move fast.
With Remitly Business, there’s no new account to open, no balance to pre-fund, and recipients don’t need to be on the platform at all. For small businesses making operational payments, this is often a better fit—faster to start, easier to manage, and less infrastructure to maintain.
Key Benefits of Using Remitly Business
1. Send Payments Without Changing Your Setup
You don’t need to open a new bank account or set up a financial system from scratch. Remitly Business works with what you already have—your existing bank account, debit card, or credit card.
2. Reduce Errors and Payment Risk
Because recipients enter their own payment details directly, the chance of manual entry errors drops significantly. Add in built-in fraud checks and recipient verification, and you can send with a much higher degree of confidence.
3. Predictable Costs and Delivery
The full cost—including the exchange rate and fees—is visible before you confirm. Combined with an on-time delivery guarantee, you know what to expect every time you send.
4. Flexible Payout Options for Recipients
Your recipients can choose how they receive funds: bank deposit, mobile wallet, or cash pickup from one of approximately 490,000 cash pickup locations globally, depending on what is available for your recipient’s location. That flexibility matters when you’re paying people in countries with varying levels of banking access.
5. Support When You Need It
Payments don’t always happen during business hours, and issues don’t wait for Monday morning. Remitly Business offers 24/7 dedicated support in 17 languages—so help is available whenever you need it.
Why Small Businesses Choose Remitly Business
For most small business owners, international payments aren’t a strategic priority—they’re an operational necessity. The goal is to pay people reliably, on time, at a reasonable cost, and then get back to running the business.
Remitly Business keeps payments in the background where they belong. There’s no new system to learn, no balance to monitor, and no complex reconciliation to manage. If you’re paying a contractor in the Philippines each month, Remitly Business lets you do it in minutes using the bank account you already use for everything else.
That reduction in admin and mental load is what keeps small business owners coming back. Payments become predictable rather than stressful—and expanding to pay someone in a new country doesn’t require rebuilding how your business operates.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What countries can I use Remitly Business in?
Remitly Business is currently available for small businesses based out of the US, UK, and Canada.
Can I use my existing bank account to send payments?
Yes, you can use the same bank account you already rely on for your business transactions. There’s no need to open new accounts or manage separate systems.
Is it expensive to pay contractors in other countries?
Remitly Business offers competitive exchange rates and low fees, making international payments cost-effective without hidden surprises.
What currencies does Remitly Business support?
We support a wide range of currencies, allowing you to pay contractors in their local currency, making transactions smooth and convenient for everyone involved.
Is Remitly Business secure?
Absolutely. Remitly Business uses advanced security measures to protect your transactions and data, ensuring that your business payments are safe.
How do I get started?
Getting started is easy—simply create an account, link your bank, and you’ll be ready to send payments across borders seamlessly.
Getting Started With Remitly Business
Getting started is straightforward. Sign up is easy, and there are no monthly fees or minimum balances to worry about. You only pay when you send.
Once your account is verified, you can send your first payment without any long-term commitment. From adding a recipient to confirming delivery, the process is designed to be clear and low-effort from start to finish.
Start Paying Internationally—Without the Complexity
International payments don’t have to mean wire transfer headaches, hidden fees, or hours of setup. Remitly Business gives small businesses a simpler path: transparent pricing, on-time delivery, and flexible payout options—all without changing the tools or accounts you already rely on.
If you’re ready to start paying international contractors and suppliers without adding new systems or accounts, Remitly Business lets you send your first payment in minutes.