Hundreds of billions of dollars are sent home each year by migrant workers, often to places with little or no banking and technology infrastructure. Providing a means for the recipient to access and utilize these funds can be a challenge, especially when there may not be a local bank or money transfer store for hundreds of miles.

The Rechargeplus card program solution, processed by eCommLink, answers these problems by providing a set of linked prepaid debit cards. The migrant worker can have their salaries loaded to a card account and transfer any portion of their pay at any time to the linked card of their beneficiary. The recipient can then use that card at any POS system, withdraw from an ATM machine, or transfer funds from the card to any participating merchant around the world.

What further separates the solution is how closely it is integrated with the cardholder's mobile phone. Funds can be transferred, balances checked, bills paid, etc. -- all from the mobile handset with a simple text message or online using the cardholder web portal.

"The integration of mobile is particularly important for money transfer solutions. In many of the developing countries where these funds are sent there are more than four times as many mobile phones as there are laptops. Mobile is one of the most prevalent, cost effective and familiar technologies in these areas and a key piece of the transfer puzzle," stated Brett Radford, Chief Executive Officer, Rechargeplus USA.

The solution will serve the needs of the growing Overseas Foreign Worker (OFW) markets with particular emphasis on OFW's from the Sub Continent and Asian markets, where remittance and money transfers are upwards of 10% of the GDP. This market has grown to millions of legal and contracted workers from these regions working around the world.

"The opportunities this solution presents are as diverse as the people who would use them. For example, take migrant workers currently employed by the shipping industry. Today, these workers are generally paid in cash -- which is both cumbersome and insecure -- and which only allows workers to send money when they are in port. With our prepaid program, workers can use funds at all stops, use funds on board and send funds home from the ship via the Internet or their mobile phone at any time they have access. It's a powerful solution," stated T. Jack Williams, Chief Executive Officer, eCommLink.

The joint solution from eCommLink and Rechargeplus is supported by local banks and merchants in participating countries. The card programs adhere to the local and international Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements and also support the financial needs of these foreign workers in the areas of bill payments, mobile top ups and insurance payments.