Follow the Money: The cost of sending money home

Some economies are increasingly dependent on migrants sending money home to their families. But how much does it cost, and who's making money from a business worth around $900 billion a year? Sam Fenwick follows a transfer from a housekeeper in London to her family in the Philippines, tracking the money every step of the way. We talk to one of the world's biggest transfer companies about the fees involved, and to a remittances expert who argues that while costs have fallen, they still need to come down further.

Producer: Gideon Long

If there’s something you pay for and you’d like to know where the money goes, tell us. It could be on a future Follow the Money episode. You can email us: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A delivery worker in Manila, Philippines. Prices have been rising in the country this year, which receives remittances from many of its citizens living abroad. Credit: ROLEX DELA PENA/EPA/Shutterstock)