The Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) is planning to raise the amount foreign workers can remit out of Taiwan annually, likely starting in the fourth quarter of this year, Banking Bureau Deputy Director Tung Cheng-chang (童政彰) said on Tuesday.
At present, migrant workers can remit up to NT$400,000 (US$12,264) out of Taiwan every year, but that is to increase to NT$500,000 a year once the FSC revises provisions in the Regulations Governing Small Amount Remittance Services for Foreign Migrant Workers, Tung said.
The FSC said the move to increase the annual remittance limit, which could benefit more than 700,000 migrant workers, is due to their increased earnings.
Photo: Wang Meng-lun, Taipei Times
Changes to the remittance limit clause and other provisions in the remittance regulations have to be posted for 60 days to allow for public feedback.
After the review period and additional time needed for administrative procedures, the FSC expects the revised regulations to take effect in the fourth quarter of this year.
Among other provisions being revised are those related to requirements for institutions that handle the remittances of migrant workers.
One would require all companies handling small-amount remittances to have paid-in capital or operating funds of no less than NT$100 million, whereas in the past only institutions exclusively engaged in this business were subject to the NT$100 million threshold.
There are currently four institutions approved by the FSC to process small-amount remittances for migrant workers — Digital Idea Multi-Media Co, Welldone Co, Eastern Union Interactive Corp and May-God Human Resource.
All are non-exclusive operators (they operate other businesses along with handling remittances), but have paid-in capital exceeding NT$100 million and therefore would not be affected by the revised regulations, Tung said.
In addition, the FSC plans to require that companies involved in the business have responsible persons with experience in banking, electronic payment institutions, financial technology or employment services.
The responsible persons of the four approved institutions all meet this requirement, Tung said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about