Daniel & Shawn dive into Remitly, the digital remittance platform aiming to disrupt a $2 trillion global market. After years of prioritizing customer acquisition and corridor expansion over profits, Remitly is now approaching a critical inflection point, one where scale, margin leverage, and cash generation could unlock a new phase of investor confidence. But there are risks as well: crypto-native challengers, regulatory uncertainty, and broader concerns about the remittance industry all raise the question of whether the upside is worth the risk. Here, they unpack Remitly’s moat, including its direct payout network, risk engine, and customer trust, and assess whether these factors are enough to fend off cheaper, faster payment rails, such as stablecoins. They walk through the company’s unit economics and what the valuation model implies under both steady-state and high-growth scenarios. Along the way, they compare Remitly’s customer lock-in strategy to Booking.com, examine the remittance corridor dynamics in India, the Philippines, and Latin America, and debate whether this is a misunderstood fintech with enduring staying power or a product ripe for crypto disruption. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 – Intro 01:08 – How the remittance market works 01:50 – Why Western Union struggles to compete with Remitly 02:16 – Why and how Remitly was founded 04:48 – What risks Remitly faces 05:01 – How stablecoins could disrupt the remittance industry 11:34 – What competitive advantages Remitly has 17:16 – What digital-first companies compete with Remitly 24:37 – Why scale is everything in the payments sector 27:56 – Whether Remitly is attractively valued at its current levels 29:27 – Whether Shawn & Daniel add RELY to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Value Investor’s Club Article on RELY. Check out the Substack Article on RELY. Dive into Pernas' Research Article on RELY Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Connect with Shawn: ...
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