Delivery riders working for food and grocery delivery apps stand to benefit from faster access to funds, digital payout solutions, and faster remittances home, according to a senior executive at Visa.
Fadi Moukaddem, senior vice-president and group country manager for the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar at Visa, told Gulf Times that riders working for delivery platforms, whom he calls “delivery heroes,” are a growing part of the digital payments ecosystem of Visa’s partner countries.
He explained that Visa works with delivery platforms in several different ways. “One is through partnerships with issuing banks to create co-branded cards that let riders and users earn loyalty points and other benefits,” Moukaddem said.
The more significant shift is in how riders themselves get paid, he also pointed out. Instead of waiting until the end of the month to receive tips or salary, riders can receive funds through Visa-enabled payout solutions, with payments transferred through Visa Direct in near real time where available, according to Moukaddem.
He noted that these capabilities can help move funds directly to eligible recipients, streamlining the payout experience for riders. Some riders are paid per delivery or per day rather than monthly, said Moukaddem, emphasising that they no longer need to wait for their earnings.
A third benefit, according to Moukaddem, is remittances, since many riders regularly send money back to their families abroad. He noted that these capabilities can also support money movement use cases, including sending funds to family members.
Moukaddem said this setup benefits both riders and the wider delivery ecosystem, since banks, acquirers and delivery platforms are able to offer everything riders need in one place.
Asked how this changes daily life for riders, Moukaddem said the biggest gain is efficiency. “All of that is completed by one click, and you’re done,” he said.
Without instant digital remittance, Moukaddem explained that a rider sending money home would have to find a currency exchange house, park his bike, and stand in a queue before completing the transfer.
“That time away from deliveries also costs the rider income,” Moukaddem pointed out, summing up the system’s value as “friction, utility, and security” combined.
