Lebanese fintech Whish Money has officially opened a branch in Montreal, launching its operations in Canada. The new branch lets customers send money between Canada and Lebanon, giving Lebanese families on both sides a direct, regulated channel run by a company many of them already use at home.
Whish Money also says it will roll out other products and services built specifically for the Canadian market. It has not yet shared details on what those will be or when they will launch.
A Year From Licence to Storefront
Montreal's opening follows Whish Money's announcement in October 2025 that it had secured financial services licences in Canada, its first major regulatory approval outside the Middle East and North Africa. In Canada, it operates through a dedicated, locally incorporated entity registered as a Money Services Business.
That structure is a deliberate choice. Rather than relying only on partners to reach foreign markets, Whish Money has said it wants direct local authorisation in every country it enters. When the licence was announced, chairman Toufic Koussa described the goal as connecting "high-diaspora communities with reliable financial infrastructure, beginning with North America."
Hiring has started too. The company's careers page lists a full-time, on-site Compliance Officer role based in Montreal.
Why Montreal Came First
Picking Montreal makes sense. According to Statistics Canada, the city is home to more people who identify as Lebanese than any other Canadian city. For many of them, sending money home is a regular part of family life, from covering school fees to helping parents with monthly bills.
Under the new setup, money can move directly between Whish Money branches in Canada and Lebanon. On the Lebanese side, recipients can collect cash through the company's network of branches and agents.
From Crisis Tool to Cross-Border Player
Headquartered in Beirut and licensed by Banque du Liban, Whish Money grew quickly during Lebanon's financial collapse, when bank transfers and cash withdrawals became difficult. It now says it serves more than 1.5 million users with payroll, money transfers, bill payments and a digital wallet.
Over the past two years, the company has been building international links. It announced a strategic alliance with Visa in May 2025, and in August 2025 it went live with Mastercard Move, allowing users in Lebanon to send money to more than 50 countries from the app. It also works with global remittance networks including Ria and TerraPay.
Canada is only the first stop. Whish Money has said it is pursuing licences in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and Australia, all markets home to sizeable Lebanese communities.
Whish Money
