In Cuba, remittances from emigrants are crucial for daily expenses and major purchases, delivered by couriers like Naychel, who estimates distributing over a million dollars in three years. The system runs via agencies using platforms like Zelle, bypassing official banking due to restrictions. It includes both cash and in-kind goods, vital amid low tourism and medical missions.
Naychel, a remittance courier with three years' experience, estimates delivering over a million dollars. Common transfers are 50, 100, or 200 dollars, swapped for Cuban pesos for daily needs. Larger sums, like 30,000 dollars, fund houses, cars, or businesses such as a nightclub partly paid from the United States, Naychel recalled. “The largest was 30,000 dollars,” he said. The chain starts in Miami or Madrid via Zelle or PayPal deposits, reaching recipients in under two hours through agencies and couriers. A Camagüey restaurant owner described the model: U.S. dollars fund imports for private firms, paid in pesos that intermediaries exchange for remittances, avoiding currency movement. “It’s a scheme that works for everyone,” he said. Retiree Jose Miguel Medina in Camagüey uses funds from grandchildren in Germany and the U.S. to repair his home, aiding suppliers and workers too. Sociologist Denisse Delgado notes remittances' “differentiating” effect: they cover basics and seed private ventures but foster inequalities. Estimates differ: up to 70% of adults receive them per some studies; CNN cited 26% of families averaging $2,200 yearly, with Cuba getting about $2.5 billion in 2015–2020. After Trump-era Western Union license cancellation, 84% go through independents, risking currency trafficking and laundering. One case: a Cuban-American woman arrested for carrying over $100,000 on 45 trips from 2023–2024. Many remittances are in-kind; María Luisa from Ciego de Ávila brings clothes, surgical kits, and more, including operation kits for over 20 procedures last year.