Sendana Could Help Caribbean Entrepreneurs Earn Globally While Living Locally

For years, Caribbean entrepreneurs have faced a frustrating contradiction. The internet made it possible to find customers and clients anywhere in the world, but getting paid often remained one of the biggest barriers to doing business internationally.

The launch of Sendana, a new borderless banking platform designed for freelancers, entrepreneurs, consultants, creators and digital professionals across the Global South, could help change that.

Launched on May 28, Sendana provides users from over 150 countries with access to a virtual US dollar account, allowing them to receive payments from overseas clients and platforms without many of the costly and complicated workarounds that have become commonplace for entrepreneurs in underserved markets.

The platform is already attracting attention across the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia, where growing numbers of professionals earn income from international clients but face significant obstacles when trying to access their earnings.

According to a company press release, hundreds of users registered within days of launch despite no paid advertising.

Built From a Real Caribbean Problem

The idea for Sendana grew out of a challenge founder Monique Powell encountered while scaling her first company, QuickCart, Jamaica’s online food delivery platform.

After expanding into Trinidad and Tobago, Powell wanted to continue working with a valuable team member there even after the company closed its local operations. Paying that employee from Jamaica proved surprisingly difficult, often requiring international money transfer services and manual processes that were both time-consuming and expensive.

As she dug deeper into the problem, Powell discovered that millions of people across the Caribbean, Africa and other emerging markets faced similar obstacles when sending and receiving money across borders.

“I realised there was a lot that was broken in terms of how money moved across borders, especially as it relates to emerging markets and underserved markets like the Caribbean,” Powell said.

That experience led her to explore how new technologies could make international payments faster, cheaper and more accessible, eventually resulting in the creation of Sendana.

A New Opportunity for Caribbean Digital Exports

While much attention has focused on attracting remote workers and digital nomads to the Caribbean, some business leaders believe an even greater opportunity lies in helping Caribbean residents export their own skills, expertise and services to the world.

Today, a Montserrat-based consultant can advise a company in London. A graphic designer in St. Lucia can work with clients in New York. A virtual assistant in Jamaica can support businesses across North America. A content creator in St. Maarten can serve audiences around the globe.

The challenge is not finding opportunities.

The challenge is getting paid.

Media and business strategist Nerissa Golden said the region’s financial infrastructure has struggled to keep pace with the growth of the digital economy.

“We’ve spent years discussing how to attract remote workers to the Caribbean, but we should also be talking about how Caribbean people can export their expertise to the world,” Golden said. “Location is no longer important. Monique’s story highlights a reality many Caribbean entrepreneurs understand. The talent exists. The clients exist. The opportunities exist. Too often it is the financial infrastructure that creates friction between Caribbean professionals and the global marketplace.”

Golden describes freelance services, consulting, digital products, content creation and online businesses as a modern form of export.

“Traditionally, exports meant shipping goods overseas. Today, a Caribbean entrepreneur can export expertise, creativity and professional services without leaving home. The challenge has been making it easy for them to receive payment for that work.”

A Practical Example for Montserrat

Consider a craft producer in Montserrat who creates traditional Caribbean crafts.

Traditionally, that entrepreneur’s income is limited by how many products they can physically make and ship. Every sale requires additional materials, labour, packaging and delivery costs.

Today, however, that same entrepreneur could create an online course teaching people how to make those crafts, offer virtual workshops, sell digital patterns, templates or instructional videos, and reach customers around the world.

A single course could be purchased hundreds of times without requiring the creator to make or ship additional products.

The challenge is not necessarily finding buyers. The challenge is having a reliable way to collect payments from international customers.

Platforms such as Sendana could help bridge that gap by providing Caribbean entrepreneurs with access to payment infrastructure that allows them to sell products, services and digital experiences globally while remaining based in their home countries.

The same principle applies to consultants, coaches, writers, designers, musicians, software developers, marketers and educators. Their knowledge and expertise can become exportable products that generate income from international markets without the costs associated with physical exports.

How to Get Started

Signing up for Sendana has been designed to be straightforward and accessible for users in underserved markets.

To open an account, applicants need a valid government-issued identification document such as a passport or driver’s licence. As part of the verification process, users are asked to complete a facial recognition check, commonly known as a Face ID verification, to confirm their identity and help protect against fraud.

Once approved, users receive access to a virtual US dollar account that can be used to receive payments from clients and supported platforms.

Understanding the PayPal Limitation

One feature attracting attention is Sendana’s ability to connect with PayPal through its virtual US dollar accounts. However, founder and Chief Executive Officer Monique Powell explained that the feature is designed for countries where users can already receive payments through PayPal but face challenges withdrawing funds.

“The ability to link PayPal to one of our USD accounts is limited to those who already have PayPal accounts and are able to receive transfers but have trouble withdrawing because PayPal doesn’t support bank transfers to local banks in their country,” Powell said.

She noted that in countries such as Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, users can receive payments through PayPal but often struggle to move those funds into local banking systems.

“That’s where our virtual USD accounts come in as it relates to PayPal specifically,” she explained.

For territories such as Montserrat and St. Maarten, however, the challenge begins earlier in the process. Entrepreneurs are generally unable to receive commercial payments through PayPal in the first place, meaning the PayPal integration does not solve that specific issue.

Instead, the value lies in Sendana’s ability to provide an alternative pathway for receiving international payments through its virtual US dollar accounts.

Beyond Entrepreneurship. A National Development Opportunity

Golden believes the implications extend far beyond individual entrepreneurs.

She argues that helping residents earn foreign income while remaining in their home countries represents an important economic development opportunity for small island states.

“When a Montserratian earns US dollars from a client in Dubai, Toronto or New York, that money enters the local economy without requiring a tourist to visit the island or a physical product to be exported,” she said.

“The income is spent locally. It supports families, pays mortgages, buys groceries, funds education and helps local businesses grow. In economic terms, these are export earnings.”

Golden noted that Caribbean governments have long focused on tourism, agriculture and foreign direct investment as pathways to growth. While those sectors remain important, she believes digital exports deserve greater attention.

“The digital economy allows small islands to export knowledge instead of containers,” Golden said. “A consultant can advise ten clients overseas without leaving home. A teacher can create a course once and sell it hundreds of times. A writer can sell a digital book globally. For countries like Montserrat, where our domestic market is small, the ability to access global markets through digital products and services could become one of the most important drivers of economic growth over the next decade.”

Building a More Inclusive Global Economy

Founder Monique Powell said Sendana was created to address challenges experienced by millions of professionals across emerging markets.

“For too long, talented people in underserved regions have been held back from fully participating in the global economy,” Powell said.

She noted that many workers lose a significant portion of their earnings to transaction fees while waiting days for international transfers to arrive.

The company provides virtual US dollar accounts capable of receiving ACH and domestic wire transfers from clients and supported platforms. Users can access their funds through the Sendana Card, which is accepted anywhere Visa is accepted, or through cash pickup at MoneyGram locations worldwide. Direct transfers to local bank accounts are expected to be rolled out in the future.

Backed by DraperU Ventures and the Stellar Development Foundation, Sendana aims to provide faster, lower-cost access to earnings for freelance professionals, entrepreneurs and creators across regions such as the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia.

As the global economy becomes increasingly digital, platforms that make it easier for Caribbean entrepreneurs to earn internationally while living locally could help unlock new opportunities for growth, innovation and economic participation across the region.

Sign up for Sendana.