For a very long time businesses and entrepreneurs running their affairs online have been shortchanged by the then available money transfer services. However, with the recent fintech development, that space has been crowded by money transfer services, so much so that the competition is driving down the cost of transferring money for the end user. While at the same time increasing innovation in the industry.
There was a time in Kenya – the same can be said about almost all countries in Africa – when you needed to buy products from online stores like Amazon or eBay. You had to wait for a friend who is traveling to countries such as the USA or UK and have them buy you the product. When they come back, you pay them.
That is no longer the case, as these days you can buy from virtually any of the big online stores and get an affordable middle player to deliver the product. However, today we are talking about businesses and entrepreneurs who run their business online, and the most affordable platform they can use to get paid. They are as follows:
Bitcoin
Though not as widely understood as it should be yet, in the recent years, it has become one of the most reliable, affordable, and fastest way to get paid. The fact that an increasing number of online stores and businesses now accept Bitcoin payment goes a long way to make it a mainstream payment option. Unlike earlier years, when it was synonymous with the dark web for people who have things they would like to hide from the law authority.
PayPal
PayPal probably needs no introduction, and it probably the first thing that comes into most people’s minds when they think about online transaction. The platform is straightforward to use, and for the most part has been secure. You simply need an email account to sign up for the service, and then you can start sending and receiving money quickly and securely. Though they do charge a currency exchange fee.
Skrill
Thanks to features like instant deposit and withdrawal coupled with low transaction fees. It accepts over 40 currencies and gives you the ability to send text messages from your account. When you refer a friend and they successfully open a new account, you will get 10% of the fee they generate from receiving or sending money from their Skrill account for the entire year.
Wave
The first product by wave was a free online accounting software tailored to meet the needs of small businesses of about 1-9 employees. They then branched out into providing financial services, and now have one of the fastest, most affordable, and reliable money transfer services.
Payoneer
It is a pretty old payment processing service and available across 200 countries across the world. It also accepts over 150 different currencies. Receiving payments on Payoneer is free, and it has an API to enable you to integrate it with your business. For businesses that are not yet 100% digital, you can get a plastic MasterCard that will enable you to withdraw money from a typical MasterCard-enabled ATMs.
Google Wallet
Previously known as Google Checkout, this online payment service by Google enable you to send and receive money in a safe, simple, and speedy way on your browser or smartphone using your Gmail account.
Related: Google Wallet integrated into Gmail to allow sending/receiving of money through Gmail
Venmo
Despite the fact PayPal acquired Venmo, the two companies work fundamentally differently. While PayPal is popular for making simple transactions by either companies or for personal use. Venmo takes a somewhat social media aspect in digital payment. In Venmo, the payer and payee get their transaction shared on an online feed in a social networking platform.
Amazon Payments
As a small business running its affairs online, you make things much easier for your customers by accepting Amazon Payments. They will simply need to log in to their Amazon account and go to the checkout position. This process will be much more convenient and trustworthy.
Payza
Payza allows you to send or receive money from anywhere in the world within minutes. The service promises a secure and robust system which has a cool and easy-to-use interface. You can sign up for the service in simple short steps. The platform also accepts Bitcoin payments.
Bank Transfer
Yes, you can get paid directly to your local bank account through SWIFT code. Most banks around the world have a unique identifier known as SWIFT code made up of a 8 – 11 numbers. You merely need to give the sender of the money the SWIFT code of your local bank account, and your bank account for the money to be wired directly to you [to your bank account.
