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Visa has released Asia Pacific findings from its Money Travels 2026 Digital Remittances Adoption Report, showing that consumers in several markets are willing to accept slower transfers in exchange for stronger fraud protection.
The study surveyed more than 45,000 remittance senders and receivers across 20 markets, including Australia, Mainland China, India, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore. The regional results show growing use of digital channels for cross-border payments, while concerns about scams and AI-enabled fraud are shaping how consumers assess payment services.
In Japan, 68% of consumers said they would accept a 24-hour transfer delay for stronger protection against AI-related fraud. The figure was 57% in Singapore and 57% in Australia.
Concern about AI-enabled fraud was highest in the Philippines, where 62% of respondents said they were worried, followed by India at 53%. Consumers fear tools such as deepfakes could be used to impersonate family members or support financial scams.
Those concerns sit alongside continued reliance on remittances for household finances. In the Philippines and Australia, 45% and 35% of consumers respectively said they send money abroad, compared with 8% in Japan.
Receiving patterns also varied across the region. The Philippines had the highest share of people receiving remittances at 45%, while Japan had the lowest at 5%.
Family pressure
The findings suggest cross-border payments remain closely tied to everyday financial needs. Paying household bills was a leading reason for receiving remittances in the Philippines (47%) and India (34%), while financial emergencies were also a major factor in the Philippines (42%) and India (33%).
For some households, supporting relatives abroad brings direct financial strain. In India, 23% of consumers said they delayed bill payments to help loved ones overseas, while 21% in Mainland China said the same.
The study also found some consumers were cutting back on essential spending, with 20% of respondents in India and 17% in Mainland China reporting this.
Digital shift
Across Asia Pacific, mobile banking apps were the preferred channel for sending money internationally, with usage ranging from 33% to 60% depending on the market. Mobile wallets were especially popular in India, the Philippines and Mainland China.
Japan stood out from the broader regional pattern, with 32% of consumers still preferring to make international transfers through physical bank branches.
The findings indicate that digital adoption is rising, but not evenly. Preferences vary by market, and legacy habits continue to shape how consumers send money across borders.
Education may also influence whether consumers adopt newer forms of cross-border payment. For the first time, the study included a section on awareness, perceptions and adoption intent for stablecoins.
That part of the research found significant gaps in understanding. Roughly half of consumers across Asia Pacific believed stablecoins were as risky as, or riskier than, cryptocurrencies, despite being designed to maintain a stable value.
Interest in stablecoins rose when respondents were given a clearer explanation of how they are intended to work. The report suggests broader uptake will depend partly on trust and understanding, not availability alone.
Chavi Jafa, Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, Asia Pacific, Visa, set out the company's view of the findings.
"Cross-border money movement is fundamental to how people, businesses and economies connect across Asia Pacific," said Chavi Jafa, Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions, Asia Pacific, Visa. "Financial institutions have an opportunity to make cross-border payments a more integrated and valuable part of the overall customer experience as consumer expectations continue to evolve, with customers increasingly looking for solutions that combine speed, security, convenience and flexibility. Building trust through education, transparency and security will be critical to the next phase of adoption."
The report points to a market where speed alone is no longer the only selling point for payment providers. As digital remittances become more common, the balance between convenience and safeguards appears to be shifting, particularly in markets where consumers report high exposure to scams.
Exposure to remittance scams was highest in India at 40% and the Philippines at 29%. The figures were lower in Mainland China (19%) and Japan (11%).
Rhidoi Krishnakumar, Vice President, Head of Visa Direct, Asia Pacific, Visa, said the variation across markets creates operational challenges for financial firms.
"The findings underscore how diverse payment behaviours, preferences and levels of digital adoption continue to accelerate across Asia Pacific," said Rhidoi Krishnakumar, Vice President, Head of Visa Direct, Asia Pacific, Visa. "For banks, remitters and fintechs, the opportunity lies in delivering seamless cross-border experiences while managing growing complexity on behalf of clients. Through Visa Direct, we work with partners across the region to help simplify this complexity and enable money movement experiences that are more seamless, scalable and locally relevant to how consumers and businesses move money today."