Instant Messaging, Instant Delivery and now Instant Money Transfers

Swati, like many others, had migrated to Australia a few months back. Obviously, it was a very different environment compared to back home in India but with the help of her friends and colleagues, she was able to settle in very quickly. And she is not alone. Every year, close to 40,000 Indians make Australia their home helping contribute to the local economy and making a mark for themselves. A combination of a great work environment and a strong community presence make life a lot easier for people like her.

What’s made life easier for people like Swati and her folks now is the instant connectivity available. Be it instant messaging and video chats or sending gifts and managing nancial transactions for their folks, the internet has helped bridge the physical gap to a large extent.

It’s now only logical that the bene ts of this instant connectivity are extended to one of the core needs of sending money back home. According to the World Bank, Indians send close to $1.8 billion annually from Australia and historically, have had to settle for options that were either painstakingly time-consuming or prohibitively expensive. There was no option, which combined the speed of delivery at a very competitive price.

This too has changed now with online services available that help send money to India in a quick & transparent manner. One such service is Remit2India that’s been catering to the needs of Non-Resident Indians across the globe for over 16 years. Their proposition for Indians in Australia is one of the best as it offers an instant transfer to most bank accounts in India and currently at no fees to the sender. This facility is available 24x7 irrespective of time zones and bank holidays at both ends up to a maximum transaction size of Rs 1,00,000. More details are available on the website www.remit2india.com and the iOS & Android apps.

Moreover, it gives the advantage to the sender of locking in the rates at the time of the transfer without having to be exposed to the vagaries of the forex markets. Remit2India is also currently running a special limited period offer of a guaranteed A$35 Coles voucher for every new customer in order to induce senders to try the online option.

(NSW), Blacktown (NSW), Tarneit (VIC) and Point Cook (VIC).

Interestingly, the fi e su ur s in with the highest proportion of Hindus were all in Western Sydney: Harris Park , irraween , estmead , Bungarribee (37%) and Wentworthville (35%).

Hinduism appears to resonate with a younger crowd, with the median age of Hindus in Australia coming in at 31 years, significantly lower than the o erall Australian median age of 38.

With origins in India, it comes as no surprise that just over half (51%) of Hindus living in Australia were born in India. Australia (18%) was the second most common country of birth, followed by Nepal (10%), Fiji (6%) and Sri Lanka (5%).

There is great diversity in the languages spoken at home by Hindus in Australia. Hindi (27%), English (13%), and Tamil (12%) are the three most common, while di erent languages ha e at least Australian Hindus speaking them at home.

So now, within 30 seconds of Swati sending money to her parents’ account in India, she gets a WhatsApp message from them con rming the receipt. Also, her next month’s grocery shopping has been taken care of, thanks to the free Coles voucher.

Indians in Australia are surely getting the best of both worlds.