Thunes, the so-called “Smart Superhighway” to move money across the globe, announces a new collab with Mashreq, a financial institution in the MENA region, to launch real-time mobile wallet payouts for millions of Mashreq customers. Enabled by Thunes’ Direct Global Network, the partnership will allow Mashreq to connect to mobile wallets across Asia, Europe, other regions, and deliver international transfers across growth markets.
As Mashreq continues to expand across the MENA region, this alliance marks a major step in “transforming” cross-border payments. Initially covering the bank’s top 30 payment corridors, the service “will extend to additional countries over time.”
Together, Thunes and Mashreq are advancing digital banking products and making “global money movement more inclusive.”
As the world’s “second-largest” remittance hub, the UAE is expected to process USD 47 billion in outward flows in 2025, a figure which is set to grow by 4.7% annually. By joining forces with Thunes, Mashreq is supporting this growth and paving the “way for fast, transparent, and efficient cross-border payments.”
Simon Nelson, Chief Commercial Officer at Thunes said that they are pleased to welcome Mashreq as a Member of their Direct Global Network. This alliance strengthens their position in the Middle East, supporting their mission to enable more consumers to “take part in the global economy through instant, borderless payments.”
Used by banks and various FIs, Thunes provides the secure and reliable Network needed to move money across juridisctions. Together with Mashreq, they’re enabling a new “wave of payment innovation and connectivity that will reshape how money moves worldwide.”
Thunes’s Direct Global Network allows Members to “make payments in real-time in over 130 countries and more than 80 currencies.”
As covered, Thunes’ Network connects directly to various mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank accounts worldwide, as well as “15 billion cards via more than 320 different payment methods, such as GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, Alipay, WeChat Pay HK.”
Thunes’ Direct Global Network differentiates itself via its worldwide reach, in-house SmartX Treasury System and Fortress Compliance Platform, “ensuring Members of the Network receive unrivaled speed, control, visibility, protection, and cost efficiencies when making real-time payments.”
Members of Thunes’ Direct Global Network include gig economy firms like Uber and Deliveroo, “super-apps like Grab and WeChat, MTOs, fintechs, PSPs and banks.”
Headquartered in Singapore, Thunes has offices in 14 locations, including Atlanta, Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, other regions.