That's something most of us forget. I was wondering why you wouldn't just do a bank transfer, it's cheap and everyone have a bank account, but that's because I happen to live in a country where the EU ensures that I'm not paying insane fees and where you legally must have a bank account.

Personally I'm still not sure that Bitcoins and Western Union should be part of the solution. It seems "simple" for a country to just cap feed and ensure that everyone have access to banks.

This happens everywhere. When I was 20 I went to a UK university as an exchange student and tried to open a bank account (needed for some reason I can’t remember). I expected that to cost zero and not come with any strings attached but the bank person started talking about minimum deposits and yearly fees just to open a standard account.

That may be in the UK.

In El Salvador simplified bank accounts require no minimum deposit, can send and receive instant bank transfers to other banks, and some allow the account holder to receive a remittance from the US just by typing remittance ID and amount.

No need to go to the bank either. They can be opened from a website or app with a selfie and a picture of both sides of the ID card.

There are "simplified bank" accounts that are very easy to open in El Salvador. They are basically open to anyone and charge few fees. They can even be opened using and app, a photo of the ID card and a selfie.

It is also possible to receive a remittance from family using the app by filling a form with two textboxes: 1. MTCN/Remittance code and 2. Remittance amount.

Those who are under 18 cannot access this service though.

The salvadorans living in the U.S., even if they didn't enter the U.S. legally, usually have bank accounts too.