Remitly, a mobile-first provider of remittances and financial services for immigrants announced a $85 million funding round to fuel the company’s growth as the global demand for digital remittances continues to surge during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will enable Remitly to expand its suite of digital financial services products at a time its customers need them most.

Existing investor Prosus’s PayU led the round at a $1.5 billion valuation. They were joined by returning partners Generation Investment Management, Owl Rock Capital, Stripes, DN Capital, Top Tier, Princeville Global, and Threshold Ventures.

“As the current health crisis continues to devastate the global economy and disproportionately impact developing countries, immigrants are increasingly turning to digital solutions to address their financial needs and ensure they are still able to send critical funds home to their loved ones,”

said Matt Oppenheimer, Remitly Co-founder and CEO.

“Remitly was born out of this necessity – to provide the underserved, underbanked and overlooked access to financial services anytime, anywhere. And our digital solutions have never been needed more than they are today. This latest round of funding will allow us to continue meeting our customers’ broad set of financial needs, and providing affordable, convenient and secure solutions as we navigate this uncertain time and beyond.”

While the World Bank forecast global remittances to decline by 20 percent in 2020 due to the economic crisis, Remitly has seen 200 percent new customer growth year-over-year. And customers who once relied on traditional remittance providers are now faced with quarantines, the shuttering of brick and mortar locations and limited access to traditional financial services. Faced with these challenges, customers are rapidly shifting to digital solutions to continue sending money to their loved ones across the world.

This article first appeared on fintechnews.ch