BEIRUT: The cost of sending remittances from the United States to Lebanon reached 12.6 percent in the first quarter of 2011 for a $200 transfer, according to the World Bank, constituting a decline from 13.1 percent in the third quarter of 2010 and from 13.2 percent in the first quarter of the same year.
The figures came as part of a report by Lebanon This Week, Byblos Bank group’s weekly publication.
Additionally, the cost of sending $500 from the U.S. to Lebanon reached 5.53 percent in the first quarter of 2011, down from 5.7 percent in the third quarter of 2010 and from 5.74 percent in the first quarter of 2010.
That cost includes a transaction fee and an exchange rate margin, and represents the average cost of transferring money through commercial banks and money transfer operators.
In nominal terms, the cost of sending $200 and $500 to Lebanon from the U.S. is $25.1 and $27.7, respectively, down from $26.4 and $28.7 in the first quarter of 2010. The World Bank estimated remittance inflows to Lebanon to total $8.2 billion in 2010.
The cost of sending remittances from Germany to Lebanon reached 13.4 percent in the first quarter of 2011 for a transfer of 160 euros, or about $200, constituting a decrease from 15.66 percent in the third quarter of 2010.
The cost of sending 390 euros, or about $500, from Germany to Lebanon reached 6.9 percent in the first quarter of the year, down from 7.7 percent in the third quarter of 2010.
In nominal terms, the cost of sending 160 euros and 390 euros from Germany to Lebanon comes to 21.5 euros and 26.8 euros respectively.
Lebanon ranked as the most expensive destination for sending $200 from the U.S. among 24 countries with available data, according to the World Bank. It was the sixth most expensive for sending $500 from that same location.
The data covered 11 countries in Latin and Central America, seven countries in East and Southeast Asia, three countries in the Caribbean, and two countries in Africa, in addition to Lebanon in the Middle East.
The World Bank estimates that the average cost of sending remittances through commercial banks to Lebanon stands at17.1 percent and that the average cost through MTOs nears 6.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011. In contrast, the average cost of sending remittances through commercial banks to Lebanon was 19.2 percent and the average cost through MTOs was 5.8 percent in the third quarter of last year; while the average cost through banks and MTOs was 19.2 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively, in the first quarter of 2010.
MTOs are considered the most popular source of all cash electronic transactions to Lebanon at 70 percent, followed by money dealers at 22.4 percent and commercial banks at 7.5 percent, according to 2009 figures.