Money, home, and paying attention to what already exists.

Most of us are sending money somewhere, or waiting on money from somewhere.

It goes to a mother in Kingston, a son in school, a roof that needs doing. Last year Jamaicans abroad sent home more than three billion US dollars — close to a fifth of everything the country earns. Around two thirds of it came from the United States. Much of that is our people, our neighbours, and us.

We are not a bank and we do not move your money. We never hold a dollar of it. What we can do is pay attention on your behalf and tell you plainly what exists, what it costs, and what is changing — so that you decide for yourself.

That is the whole of it. No fee, no commission, and nobody paying us to point you anywhere.

You do not need a bank account to receive money in Jamaica

About one in five Jamaicans has no bank account. For years that meant collecting cash over a counter and carrying it home.

That has changed, and a lot of people do not know it yet. There are now several ways to receive money straight onto a phone or a card, opened with a TRN and a government photo ID — no bank account and no minimum balance:

• Lynk — a mobile wallet from NCB. Receives Western Union and MoneyGram transfers directly into the wallet. Money can be spent with merchants or withdrawn as cash at NCB machines without a card.
• GK One — from GraceKennedy, who handle Western Union in Jamaica. An app with a prepaid Visa card attached.
• JN Pay — JN Bank’s wallet.
• Prepaid cards — LASCO and Sagicor each offer one you can load a remittance onto instead of walking out with cash.

Each of these is licensed and supervised in Jamaica. Go to them directly. We are not signing anybody up and we do not take your details. Look at more than one, ask what it costs, and choose what suits the person receiving the money rather than what suits you.

One thing that may save you money

1% — Since 1 January 2026 there is a 1% United States tax on money sent abroad when you hand over cash, a money order, a cashier’s cheque or a similar physical instrument. The sender pays it.

Fund the same transfer another way — from a bank account, a debit or credit card, or a digital wallet — and you are outside what the tax is written to catch.

On a thousand dollars that is ten dollars, every time. If you send monthly, it is a hundred and twenty dollars a year for changing nothing except how you pay.

This comes from the Internal Revenue Service’s own announcement of 10 April 2026 (IR-2026-48). The tax itself is already in force; the regulations defining exactly which physical instruments are caught were still in proposed form when we wrote this. If you are close to the line, ask your provider what they will charge you before you send.

What is changing

Jamaica is writing new law on digital assets. In September the government began debating a bill that would license and supervise anyone offering crypto or digital wallet services to people in Jamaica, with the Financial Services Commission in charge.

Two honest things about that.

Today there is no licensed crypto exchange operating in Jamaica. Anyone trading is doing so through platforms based overseas, with no local protection and no recourse if something goes wrong. That is worth knowing before you put money anywhere.

When the law arrives, that should improve — supervised providers, real rules, somewhere to complain. We are watching it closely and we will tell you when there is something real to tell you. We would rather say nothing than promise you something that has not arrived.

Why we care about this at all

Because a house is the asset most of us actually use and live in every day.

Everything on this page — what it costs to move money, whether you can hold it somewhere safe, whether you are building anything — runs into the same question eventually. Can you own where you live.

That is the work we do. Our people are licensed for it, and it is the part we can help you with directly rather than by pointing at somebody else.

If you want to be told when things change

Ask any of our coaches to add you, and we will let you know when something on this page is worth knowing about. Nothing else. No marketing list, and you can stop it any time.

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IBIUBU is a ministry. We are not a bank, we are not a money transmitter, and we do not hold, move or take custody of anyone’s funds. We receive no commission, referral fee or payment of any kind from any company named here. Nothing on this page is financial, investment, tax or legal advice — it is information, and the decision is yours alone.

Companies named here are independent and licensed in their own right. We are not responsible for their services, their fees or their terms. Check for yourself.

Real estate and mortgage services are provided by WIRE Funding — Women in Real Estate Funding, NMLS #1835827, Davie, Florida. Equal Housing Opportunity. Nothing here is an offer of credit, a rate quote or a commitment to lend.

Last reviewed 29 September 2026.