Wio Bank is one of the UAE's fully digital banks — no branches at all, everything happens in the app — and its international transfer feature is called Global Transfers. For an audience that already banks entirely on their phone, sending money abroad works the way you'd expect: a few taps, a live rate shown up front, no counter to visit. Here's what Global Transfers actually covers and how it stacks up.
What Global Transfers covers
Global Transfers runs over the SWIFT network rather than a proprietary fast-payout rail, reaching 100+ countries. Wio names seven currencies it handles directly — AED, GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, AUD and CHF — so a transfer in one of those currencies stays within Wio's own rate and fee structure; other currencies may route differently, so it's worth confirming in-app for less common destinations.
How to send with Global Transfers
- In the Wio app, open Payments → Global Transfers.
- Add the recipient: full name, account number or IBAN, and the receiving bank's SWIFT/BIC code.
- Choose the currency and amount, review the exchange rate shown live in the app, and confirm — Wio markets this step as fast and fully self-serve, with no branch or call needed.
Receiving into a Wio account from abroad? The sender needs Wio's SWIFT code, WIOBAEAD — our page shows where it goes.
Fees and the rate that matters more
Wio's own materials describe a flexible fee model: you can cover the transfer fee yourself or split it with the recipient, and the bank emphasises "no hidden fees" alongside a competitive exchange rate. For a Wio Business account specifically, the bank publishes flat SWIFT fees that depend on your plan tier — confirm your account's current fee in the app, since it varies by plan and can change.
Whatever the fee turns out to be, it's still only one part of the cost. The exchange-rate margin is the other, and it's the number that decides most comparisons:
Judge Global Transfers, like any transfer, on what actually lands — not the fee headline alone.
Global Transfers vs an exchange house or app
Wio's pitch is convenience for a digital-native customer who already banks there — no branch, transparent app-based pricing, and a rate shown before you confirm. For sending money home on the big remittance corridors specifically, though, it's still worth comparing against dedicated players: exchange houses like Al Ansari and LuLu, and apps like Wise, specialise in exactly those routes and frequently beat a general-purpose bank on the rate.
Compare the amount received in our live tool, or on a route page like AED to INR and AED to PKR. Banking with another digital-first option? See our Liv international transfer guide.
Transferring with a different bank?
See how other UAE banks run theirs: Liv (also digital-first), Emirates NBD DirectRemit, ADCB, or Mashreq.