Remitly, Inc. (www.remitly.com) the emerging mobile money transfer service that allows immigrants in the U.S. to send money home securely, more easily, and affordably announced that it completed its first close of a $5.5m Series A round led by QED.

Matt Oppenheimer, Remitly co-founder and CEO said, 'We're excited about QED's financial technology, operational, and marketing expertise. They share our vision to evolve the remittance industry by building the best mobile remittance platform, one that streamlines the process and makes it more affordable for people to send money.' QED Investors is a leading financial technology venture capital firm whose partners include Nigel Morris, co-founder of Capital One.

Most of Remitly's existing investors participated in the new financing. In addition to QED, Remitly investors include Trilogy Partnership, Founders Co-Op, TomorrowVentures, Bezos Expeditions, and various well-known angel investors.

Oppenheimer started Remitly in 2011 while living in Kenya and running mobile and Internet banking initiatives for Barclays Bank. Oppenheimer states, 'I saw first hand that sending money across borders was inconvenient, expensive, and slow. I also saw that everyone had a mobile phone and many used phones for financial services. It was clear that the timing was right for mass disruption of a broken industry.' Oppenheimer also stated, 'We've assembled the best team in the industry to accomplish this goal.'

Remitly's services are currently focused on customers sending money from the USA to the Philippines. Remitly will use the new capital to accelerate global growth. According to the World Bank, over $400 billion is transferred from developed to developing countries each year.

Oppenheimer stated, 'We're already helping thousands of customers transfer millions of dollars each month. And we're just getting started.'

About Remitly

Remitly is a mobile payments service that enables consumers to conveniently make person-to-person international money transfers from the United States. Its digital service uses the latest technology and mobile devices to eliminate the forms, codes, agents, extra time and fees tied to the traditional money transfer process. Remitly is a licensed money transmitter operating in 21 states and sending millions of dollars each month. The company is backed by QED, Trilogy Partnership, Founders CoOp, Bezos Expeditions, and TomorrowVentures. Remitly is headquartered in Seattle, WA with additional offices in the Philippines.

About QED Investors

QED Investors LLC is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in early stage, high-growth businesses. The firm focuses investments in information-rich businesses, primarily in financial services and data-driven marketing. Its support is tailored to the specific needs of each portfolio company and typically includes a combination of both capital and capability. With operationally oriented skills, QED works closely with a small set of carefully selected companies that range in size and style. But common to all of its investments is a shared conviction that information plays a decisive role in the success of the company. QED is located in Alexandria, VA.