HOME REMITTANCES AND HAWALA SYSTEM:
HOME REMITTANCES:
The transfer of money by a foreign worker to his/her home country.
Along with savings and credit services, remittance services are among the
most important financial services for low-income people. Many people
who receive remittances live in rural areas that lack or have limited access
to financial services, including efficient and reliable remittance services.
Travelling to the nearest pay-out point is often time consuming and
costly, thus reducing the remittances received. Since each withdrawal has
a high personal overhead cost, saving some amount of the remittance
is not attractive.
Recent studies have emphasized that migrant remittances and their
investment are hampered by inefficiencies and access barriers in financial
services both in sending and receiving countries. While estimates indicate
that one third of global remittances flow through informal transfer channels,
those countries with weak financial sectors and systems tend to have the
highest remittance flows. Not only is this a regulatory concern (see Annex I),
it also limits the opportunity for poor men and women to become better
Economically integrated by gaining access to basic financial services.
The lack of remittance services is due to policies and regulations for the
provision of financial services, as well as the lack of interest or awareness
Among financial institutions. For institutions located at the receiving end of
The remittance corridor, remittances offer the opportunity to develop new
Products and acquire new customers from low-income communities.
Institutions are beginning to become aware of these market opportunities
that could make operations downmarket a viable option.
Remittances offer financial institutions such opportunities. Migrant
Remittances especially those from high- and middle-income to low-income
countries have reached tremendous volumes. At the same time, there is a
significant and growing demand for remittance systems in domestic markets
that would serve both individuals and businesses (micro, small and large)
for payments of all kinds.
Remittance flows:
Global flows:
Remittances the transfer of funds between individuals represent an
increasingly significant flow of capital to the developing world. The World
Bank has reported that migrant remittances to developing countries totalled
more than USD 160 billion in 2004, an increase of over 65% since 2001,
when remittances stood at an estimated USD 96.5 billion. If informal and
underreported flows are included, estimates of migrant remittances are two to
three times higher (see Annex II). Compared to other forms of capital
transfers and investments, the volume of remittances surpassed that of official
development assistance in the mid-1990s and is currently second only to the
volume of foreign direct investment.
The East Asia and the Pacific region and the Latin America and the
Caribbean region receive approximately the same amount of remittances
(USD 40.9 billion and USD 40.7 billion, respectively, each about 25% of the
total amount of remittances to developing countries). While remittances to
sub-Saharan Africa are the lowest (USD 7.7 billion, or 5%), they are also
heavily underreported in the region, thus underestimating their significance.
In each region, one or two countries account for much of the volume of
remittances. India, Mexico, and China, for example, lead the list of recipient
countries both in their respective regions and globally. While Morocco
accounts for the highest volume of remittances in all of Africa, Nigeria leads
in sub-Saharan Africa. In many countries, including Albania, the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, India, Yemen and Tonga, remittances are an essential
and often the single largest inflow of foreign capital, exceeding both official
development assistance and export revenues. The main areas from which
remittances are sent include the United States, parts of the Middle East and
Western Europe.
Intraregional and Domestic Flows:
Though dwarfed in volume by the flows from high-income countries in the
North to developing countries in the South, other remittance flows may be
equally or more important to recipients. Domestic remittances flow within a
country or a region, such as from urban to rural areas or from export-cropping
regions to economically depressed areas. Intraregional remittances emanate
from regional economic hubs to neighbouring or nearby countries, as from
the Ivory Coast to Mali, South Africa to Botswana, Colombia to Nicaragua,
India to Bangladesh, and Romania to Moldova.
Collective Remittances:
Collective remittances (also called communal remittances) are monies sent
by diaspora groups such as migrant associations and church groups to their
home communities. Unlike household or individual remittances, collective
remittances are typically intended for community infrastructure, other local
development initiatives, or the construction or improvement of churches and
have been widely studied (see Vargas-Lundius, 2004). Collective remittances
can best be described as diaspora charity or philanthropy. Though collective
remittances are almost negligible in volume relative to overall migrant
remittances, they may be critical to the recipient community.
THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL IMPACT OF
REMITTANCES:
Social Consequences:
A very dangerous journey.
Brain, brawn and entrepreneurial drain.
Family separation and breakdown.
Disruption of labor markets.
The dependency syndrome.
Youth gangs.
Backlash in host countries.
Impact on remitters (poverty, schooling).
Positive Economic Consequences:
Contribute to poverty alleviation, but not related to GDP growth rate. Not
economic growth program.
Increase demand (local purchases, tourism, transportation, telecoms,
nostalgic trade.)
Support education, housing and business development.
Reduce exchange rate volatility, country risk.
Increase foreign exchange reserves (finance needed imports) & debt
sustainability.
Constant (low volatility), long lasting (more than ten years). Countercyclical.
Negatively correlated with FDI & other private flows.
Negative Economic Consequences:
Dutch disease: loss of X competitiveness.
Higher interest rates in LC. De facto dollarization.
Weaken governments will to maintain fiscal discipline (they may
consume/borrow more).
Governments overspend hoping for growing flows.
Reduce labor force (migration & willingness to work).
Little correlation between GDP growth & volume of remittances. Idem for
inflation.
Political Consequences:
Several countries have unilaterally granted dual citizenship (Mexico,
Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua).
Others (Mexico, Honduras) have allowed their migrants to vote in their
elections (restricted to Presidential candidates).
Scant participation (0.5% for Mexico and Honduras).
Manipulation of the fear of deportation.
Influencing home politics thru relatives.
Influencing home politics thru fear of loss of remittances.
Influencing host country politics.
Is politics for migrants also local?
Will politics be affected through culture change?
General Remittances Diagram:
Remittances of Pakistan:
Hawala System:
Hawala originated in India. It was born before the spread of Western banking in
the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries. It has developed based on specific ethnic, cultural or
historical factors.
Hawala is an efficient value transfer system that has endured many civilizations and
unstable regions.
This system has developed and spread
among different cultures: Fei-Chien in China, Padala in the Philippines, Hui Kuan in
Hong Kong, Hundi in India.
Where did it originate?
During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as a means of facilitating long distance
trade mainly the Silk Road. It operated within a tight range of family Members based
purely on trust. It has remained as the main system of money transmission in Asia
up until the mid-twentieth century.
How does it Work?
1. Cash is given to the hawala dealer ( Could range from a corner store to a travel
agency).
2. No fees are discussed (usually they are factored in), only where and in what
currency.
3. The money transfer could range from a few minutes to a week depending on the
relationship with the intermediaries.
4. Hawala dealers combine daily, all their transactions into ledgers of their different
counterparts.
What have the regulators done to Control the system?
Different approaches with different governments:
FINCEN in the US requires hawala to be filed as Money Service Business
(estimate 17% registered)
FIU in Bahrain took the same approach (estimated 83% registered)
UAE Central Bank invited but did not require registration.
UK customs implemented CATCH.
PALOSA GROUP MEMBERS:
1) YASIR ALI BP-10-45
2) MISBAH UD DIN BP-10-01
3) AURANGZEB BP-10-42
4) TARIQ SHEHZAD BP-10-31
5) IRFAN BP-10-33
