General principles for international remittance services - consultative report
Note: This consultative report has been superseded by the final version of January 2007.
Foreword
In recent years a number of reports have been prepared by various organisations on the topic of international remittances, a topic whose importance is increasingly being recognised. However, few of these reports have been devoted specifically to what can be called the "payment system aspects" of remittances - in effect, the practical realities of how the money is transferred. Understanding these payment system aspects is crucial to understanding remittances and to ensuring that remittance services are safe and efficient.
This report provides an analysis of the payment system aspects of remittances, on the basis of which it sets out general principles designed to assist countries that want to improve the market for remittance services. The report is being issued now as a consultation document and comments are invited from any interested parties. Comments should be sent to the CPSS Secretariat (cpss@bis.org) and the World Bank (paymentsystem@worldbank.org) by 18 August 2006; please mention Remittances in the subject line of your e-mail. A final version of the report will then be published.
The report has been prepared for the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems and the World Bank by a task force consisting of representatives from international financial institutions involved in remittances and from central banks in both remittance-sending and remittance-receiving countries.
Executive summary: