# WorldRemit (Zepz)

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/worldremit
> research date 2026-06-01 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [WorldRemit — official](https://www.worldremit.com/)

## Key details

- **Launch:** 2010

## Overview

**WorldRemit (Zepz)** is **UK-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance** + **founded 2010 by Ismail Ahmed as WorldRemit then 2021 rebranded parent as Zepz** + **one of UK's largest mobile-first remittance platforms** + **~11M+ annual Zepz customers worldwide** + **Sendwave acquired Aug 2020 for ~$500M** <sup>[1][1], [United Kingdom report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB)</sup>.

## History

**2010 — WorldRemit founded by Ismail Ahmed as UK-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance** distinctive UK mobile-first remittance heritage.

**Aug 2020 — WorldRemit acquires Sendwave US-based mobile-first remittance for ~$500M**.

**2021 — WorldRemit parent rebrand as Zepz consolidating WorldRemit + Sendwave under unified Zepz parent**.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Zepz WorldRemit + Sendwave** (UK-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance; private).

**Major shareholders**: **Accel + TCV + Leapfrog Investments + LeapFrog + DN Capital + Project A + others (Ismail Ahmed founder + private equity + venture capital + sovereign wealth investors)**.

**Regulators**: **FCA UK + FinCEN + Federal Reserve + national regulators across 130+ countries**.

## Technical integration

WorldRemit mobile app (iOS + Android; ~11M+ annual Zepz customers worldwide) + worldremit.com + sendwave.com online + WorldRemit Visa + Mastercard cards; Faster Payments + SEPA + SEPA Instant + ACH + SWIFT + bank account transfers + cash pickup + mobile wallet transfers.

## Implementations & partners

**Zepz subsidiaries**: [Sendwave](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/sendwave) (Sendwave; US-based mobile-first remittance for African + Asian diaspora; Zepz subsidiary post-Aug 2020 ~$500M acquisition).

**Major UK + US-based + global money transfer + remittance competitors**: [Western Union](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/western-union) (Western Union; NYSE: WU; US-based global money transfer + remittance operator + retail agent network; world's largest money transfer + remittance network by transaction volume) + [MoneyGram](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/moneygram) (MoneyGram International; US-based global money transfer + remittance operator + retail agent network) + [Ria Money Transfer](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/ria-money-transfer) (Ria Money Transfer; Euronet Worldwide NASDAQ: EEFT US-based subsidiary global money transfer + remittance) + [Remitly](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/remitly-app) (Remitly; NASDAQ: RELY; US-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance; ~7.5M+ annual customers) + [Wise (formerly TransferWise)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/wise) (Wise; UK + global multi-currency account + cross-border transfers) + [Xoom (PayPal)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/xoom) (Xoom PayPal-owned US-based global money transfer + remittance) + [PayPal](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/paypal) (PayPal; NASDAQ: PYPL; US-based global digital payment platform + Xoom + Honey + Venmo parent) + [Venmo](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/venmo) (Venmo; PayPal-owned US-based P2P mobile wallet) + [Cash App](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/cash-app) (Cash App; Block NYSE: SQ US-based P2P mobile wallet) + [Revolut](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/revolut) (Revolut; UK + global multi-currency account + payments).

**Regulators**: FCA UK + FinCEN + Federal Reserve + national regulators across 130+ countries.

## Status

**Active, UK-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance + founded 2010 by Ismail Ahmed as WorldRemit then 2021 rebranded parent as Zepz + one of UK's largest mobile-first remittance platforms + ~11M+ annual Zepz customers worldwide + Sendwave acquired Aug 2020 for ~$500M** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.worldremit.com/ "WorldRemit — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WorldRemit "WorldRemit — Wikipedia"
[gb-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB

- [1] [WorldRemit — official][1]
- [2] [WorldRemit — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[United Kingdom report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/GB)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/GB-united-kingdom.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [worldremit.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/worldremit). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.