Hola Columbia - Remittances to Columbia have launched!

¡Quibo, or hola! We are constantly working to expand our global reach for online money transfer services, and we’ve recently added Colombia to the list of countries to which you can remit money. You can now use Remitbee to get some of the most competitive CAD to Colombian Peso (COP) exchange rates when sending money quickly and securely to your loved ones. What’s more, transfers of $500 and over are free.

Colombia

Colombia is a unique South American country in that it has a land border with five other nations. These are Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and Panama. It is also unique in that it is the second most biodiverse country in the world. This means it has a high amount of species of animal and plant life. In Colombia, you can find more orchid species, bird species, and amphibian species than both Europe and North America combined.

The people of Colombia are just as rich and varied as its nature. A massive 99 percent of the population of 50 million speak Spanish. What is spoken by Colombians is nearly purely Castilian Spanish, but with several "Colombianisms" that make it unique. There are also native languages throughout the country that are still in use. Most of the population identifies as mestizo, a mixture of European and native descent. Large minorities of African and European heritage comprise the rest of the country. For much of its history Colombia's economy has been based on the production of fruit and coffee. Nowadays, services and industries are major economic growth areas.

Colombian Holidays

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is a popular holiday for the Colombian people, who are mostly Roman Catholic. Each town celebrates in its way, with different festivities and traditions. In addition to the official bank holidays, many even take a couple of days off of work to enjoy the holiday. The time is marked by prayer and religious devotion with most people attending church or parades. The parades usually have wooden images of Jesus and his disciples as their centerpieces. As this is in the runup to Easter, the religious people of Colombia celebrate the resurrection of Christ. By far the most historic place to celebrate this time of year is Popayán. The celebrations there is the largest outside of Spain.

Colombian Canadians

Colombians have immigrated to Canada for a long time now, and most of them reside in the larger cities of the country. Statistics say most Colombian Canadians (nine out of 10) are in just three provinces, with Ontario being the most popular. By the last count, Ontario had 26,720 or 44 percent of the Colombian Canadian population. It is followed by Quebec at 21,325 or 35 percent, then Alberta at 6,865 or 11 percent.

Over 60,000 immigrants from Colombia live in Canada today. Many of these immigrants still have ties to their home country. In addition to the immigrants, over 150,000 Canadians claim some kind of Colombian ancestry, which means that the sons and daughters of Colombians have integrated into Canadian society. Between 2006 and 2015 for example, almost 45,000 Colombian immigrants became permanent residents of Canada. Remitbee can help all these sectors of the Colombian community send money to Colombia. It offers a great exchange rate on Canadian Dollars to Colombian Peso (COP).

In Canada overall, Colombian Canadians are the second-largest Latin American population. The only group that has higher numbers of immigrants are Mexican Canadians.

Partner banks in Colombia

Colombia has over 25 banks across the country, but just a few large ones. Many are internationally linked, such as Scotiabank Colombia, which was founded in 1986. The top three biggest banks in the country are Bancolombia, Banco de Bogota, and Banco Davivienda. Banco de Bogota was a pioneering bank, as it was founded in 1870. It is one of the longest operating commercial banks Colombia has. It is also owned by Colombia’s richest man, Luis Carlos Sarmiento.

Bancolombia has links to Panama, El Salvador, and Guatemala, as well as Caribbean branches. It is based in Colombia’s second major city, Medellin. Banco Davivienda’s headquarters is in the capital city, Bogota. This bank has over 6 million customers and maintains a presence in 6 countries.

Across the country, there are 5,700 branches and 16,000 ATMs in total. Other banks include Banco de Occident, BBVA Colombia, Citibank Colombia, Banco Popular Colombia, and Banco GNB Sudameris. Sending money to Colombia for a low fee at a great exchange rate is what Remitbee is all about. We offer easy CAD to Colombian Peso (COP) transfers. Your money will be sent quickly and in a secure manner directly into a Colombian account.

Just sign up and verify your account with your family or friend's info to initiate a transfer. We’ll handle the rest