AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
You can, but not always through US apps: Remitly's user agreement says its service is "available to residents of the United States only", and other US apps have similar terms. A visitor can use an agent location that serves walk-in customers with a passport, keep using the app account from their home country, or use an account opened at home that works from anywhere.
The residency catch
A B1/B2 visa lets you visit the US for business or tourism. It does not make you a US resident, and many US money apps are built for residents. Remitly's US user agreement (effective 23 February 2026) says the service is "available to residents of the United States only" unless Remitly agrees otherwise, and that it may suspend access if you live abroad for an extended period. Other US peer-to-peer apps have similar residence terms; read the sign-up conditions before you start.
Signing up with a friend's address to get round that is a false statement to a regulated company, and it can lead to a frozen account with your money in it. Do not do it.
Routes that work for a visitor
| Route | What you need | Points to note |
|---|---|---|
| Your home-country app account | An account already open in the country where you live (for example the UK or Canada), used while travelling | Check the app allows sending while abroad; it charges in your home currency |
| Agent location in the US | Valid passport; the agent records your details | Western Union's Nigeria page lists paying cash at an agent; cash payments carry the 1% federal remittance tax |
| A bank wire from your bank at home | Online banking from abroad | Your bank's fees and rate; naira credited in Nigeria |
| An account opened at home that works anywhere | Online access | Useful if you visit often |
ID at an agent
For transfers of $3,000 or more, a money services business must verify and record the sender's identity whatever the payment method, according to FinCEN's quick reference guide. Your passport is the natural ID. Many agents ask for ID on smaller amounts too. Cash transactions over $10,000 by the same person in a business day trigger a currency transaction report, under the same guide.
The cash tax
Since 1 January 2026, a 1% federal excise tax applies to remittance transfers paid with cash, a money order, a cashier's check or a similar physical instrument (IRS, IR-2026-48). It applies to the sender whatever their nationality. Example only: $500 paid in cash at an agent adds $5 of tax on top of the provider's fee. Paying by card where the agent accepts it avoids the tax.
Your rights as a visitor
The federal remittance rule protects consumers in the US who send money abroad for personal and family purposes, according to the CFPB. It turns on the transfer, not your immigration status. A transfer you make at a US agent is covered: you get the fee, rate and amount to be received before paying, 30 minutes to cancel if the money has not been collected, and 180 days from the availability date to report an error.
Business visitors
If you are in the US on a business visit and need to pay a supplier or staff in Nigeria, a consumer remittance app is the wrong tool: the remittance rule and most consumer apps are for personal, family or household transfers. Use your company's business account at home, or a business payments service, and keep the invoice with the payment record.
A worked cost example
Example only. Funmi, visiting her daughter in Houston from Lagos, pays $400 in cash at an agent to send to her sister in Abeokuta. With an invented $6 agent fee, she pays $406 plus the 1% tax of $4, so $410 in total, and her sister receives the naira shown on the receipt. Paying the same $400 by card, where the agent accepts it, would remove the $4 tax.
What a visitor should not do
- Do not earn money here to send home. Visitor status does not allow work; the regulations treat unauthorised employment as a failure to maintain status (8 CFR 214.1(e)). Money you brought with you or hold at home is fine.
- Do not send for strangers. Being asked to receive money in the US and send it on to Nigeria is a common pattern in fraud and money mule schemes.
- Do not ask an agent to split a large cash payment. Cash over $10,000 in a business day is reported anyway, and deliberately splitting it to avoid that only creates a bigger problem. See scams targeting Nigerians in the US.
Steps
- Check whether the app you use at home lets you send while travelling; if so, use it.
- If not, find an agent location of a licensed provider and bring your passport.
- Ask whether you can pay by card to avoid the 1% cash tax.
- Have the recipient's name exactly as on their Nigerian bank account, the bank and the 10-digit account number.
- Keep the receipt until 180 days after the availability date.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme Personal accounts can be opened from any country, so a visitor whose home is Nigeria or elsewhere can hold dollars and naira in one account, with local account details for each, and send to a Nigerian bank account from wherever they are. Conversion is done with Swap; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve. Outside Nigeria, Pryme's services are carried out through regulated partners. See how it works.
Questions people ask
Can a tourist use Remitly in the US?
Remitly's US user agreement says the service is for US residents only unless Remitly agrees otherwise, so a visitor without a US residence generally cannot open a US account.
What ID do I need to send money to Nigeria as a visitor?
Your valid passport. For transfers of $3,000 or more, a licensed provider must verify and record your identity.
Do visitors pay the 1% US remittance tax?
Yes, if they pay with cash, a money order or a cashier's check. Paying from a bank account or by US-issued card is outside the tax.
Am I protected by US remittance rules as a visitor?
The rule covers consumers sending from a US State for personal or family purposes, so a transfer made in the US is covered regardless of your visa.
Sources
- Remitly: User Agreement, US (effective 23 Feb 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Western Union: Send money from the US to Nigeria · accessed Oct 2026
- FinCEN: Bank Secrecy Act requirements, quick reference guide for money services businesses · accessed Oct 2026
- IRS IR-2026-48: proposed regulations on the remittance transfer tax (10 Apr 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Cornell LII: 8 CFR 214.1, general requirements for nonimmigrant status · accessed Oct 2026
- CFPB: What is a remittance transfer and what are my rights? (last reviewed 3 Oct 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.