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How Does The Hawala System of Transferring Money Work - Quora

The Hawala system is an informal value transfer system that operates outside of traditional banking and financial channels. It works through a vast network of money brokers located in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. To transfer money, a sender gives funds and a password to a Hawala broker who then instructs an associate broker to pay the equivalent amount to the recipient upon providing the password, less a commission. Transactions are not documented, allowing transfers to avoid taxation and regulation. Hawala is used by migrant workers, terrorists, politicians, and criminal groups due to its speed, low cost, anonymity, and ability to move funds across borders quickly without official oversight.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
484 views9 pages

How Does The Hawala System of Transferring Money Work - Quora

The Hawala system is an informal value transfer system that operates outside of traditional banking and financial channels. It works through a vast network of money brokers located in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. To transfer money, a sender gives funds and a password to a Hawala broker who then instructs an associate broker to pay the equivalent amount to the recipient upon providing the password, less a commission. Transactions are not documented, allowing transfers to avoid taxation and regulation. Hawala is used by migrant workers, terrorists, politicians, and criminal groups due to its speed, low cost, anonymity, and ability to move funds across borders quickly without official oversight.

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11/18/2016

(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

HawalaMoneyTransferSystem

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Whydoesn'tthehawalasystemfail?Orwhyisthere
nocheatinginthis?

FaisalKhan,CrossBorderMoneyTransferSpecialist
WrittenJan17,2014

Hawalaisamuchdebatedissue.InadditiontotheanswergivenbyVrindaKumaryou
alsoneedtobecognizantthatHawala'sbasicdefinitionissomethingthatmanyregulators
debateandoftendisagreeon.Somethingthatmaybeillegalinonecountry,becomeslegal
inanother.Strictlyspeaking,eventheFinancialActionTaskForceinitsvariousmeetings
hasdebatedthissubjecttoalargedisagreewithoutcomingtoaglobalconsensusasto
whatHawalais.(SeeFinancialActionTaskForce(FATF) )
MostagreethatatitsbasicpremiseHawalaistheundocumentedtransferofmoney.Most
ofthehawaladonenowisbasedonnetoffbasis.Ifsomeonewantstosend$1000fromUS
toBangladeshandviceversa,thehawalasystemwouldnetoffthetransactionandprovide
moneytobothparties.

WhatistheHawalasystemandhowdotheycarryout
theirmoneytransactions?
Givenextremecorruptionandpossiblyeventhe
terrorismthatitpromotes,whydoauthoritiesnotban
theHawalasystemoftransferringmoney?...
Howmuchblackmoneywastransferredthrough
Hawalatransactions?
WhatisHawala'smoney?Howisitrelatedto
terrorismandinsurgency?
WhatisHawala?AndwhatistheHawalascandal?

Liquidityisthemainissuehereforthoseoperatingonnetoffbasis.Besidesthis,oneway
transfersworkinahugemanner.IfsomeoneIcanacceptthe$1000intheUS(underthe
radar),andpayoutinPakistan(alsoundertheradar),thenthetransactionistreatedasa
hawala.Itisallaboutnotgettingthemoneyinthedocumentedfield,sothattaxationor
sourceoffundingisnotquestioned.Inmanycountries,thereareinherenttaxbenefitsby
surrenderingyourforeigncurrencyandgettingpaidinlocalcurrency(Pakistanfor
examplehasthislaw),whichisusedalotlegally,forhawalapurposes.
Foranyhawalatransactiontowork,youneedademandforthecurrencyinboththe
countries.
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Whataresimilarities/differencesbetweenhawala
moneytransferandacurrencyswap?
Whatishawalamoney?
HowhasHawalaSystemfueledillicitarmstradesand
terroristactivitiesacrosstheglobe?
HowdoIfindhawalamoney?
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SuryatejaRokkam,Moneyislikesex:themoreofituhave,thelesslikelyu
aretoobsessaboutit
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WhatdoesHawalaactuallymean?
HawalaorHewalainArabic()meanstransferorsometimestrust.

ItalsoknownashundiorinSomali,xawalaorxawilaad
WhatdoesthewordHawalameanwhichwehear/readinNewspapers/TV
shows?
Itisapopularandinformalvaluetransfersystembasedontheperformanceandhonour
ofahugenetworkofmoneybrokers,primarilylocatedintheMiddleEast,NorthAfrica,
theHornofAfrica,andtheIndiansubcontinent,operatingoutsideof,orparallelto,
traditionalbanking,financialchannels,andremittancesystems.Dubaihasbeenstanding
outfordecadesasawelcominghubforhawalatransactionsworldwide.
Toputitsimply,itisillegal/informaltransferofmoneywithoutmovingitphysically,
leavingnotracesorevidences.
WhatstheoriginofHawala?

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

Thehawalasystemhasexistedsincethe8thcenturybetweenArabicandMuslimtraders
alongsidetheSilkRoad.
Thepracticestartedasawaytoprotecttradersfromtheft.
Itbecamemoreprevalentafterthedevelopmentoflongdistancetradearoundthe
emergingcapitaltradecentersintheearlymedievalperiod.
InSouthAsia,itappearstohavedevelopedintoafullyfledgedmoneymarketinstrument
(easilyliquidable),whichwasonlygraduallyreplacedbytheinstrumentsoftheformal
bankingsysteminthefirsthalfofthe20thcentury.
Whoarethecurrentusersofthisinformalnetwork?
Migrantworkers
Terrorists(tofundtheiractivities)
Politicians
Underworld/druglords
Howdoesitactuallywork?
HawaladarsorHawalaagentsarethebackboneoftheHawalaprocess.Theyarethe
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agentspresentallaroundtheworldhelpingtheircustomerstransfermoneyquickly.
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LetssayMrAinDubaiwantstotransfer1lakhriyaltohisbrotherinlawsayMrBin
Kochi.
1.NowAcontactsX,whoisahawaladarinDubaiandgiveshim1lakhriyalandalsoa
password.

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

2.NowXcontactsY,anotherHawaladar(hiscounterpart)inKeralaandaskshimto
pay1lakhriyal(inlocalcurrencyinthiscaseRupees)afterdeductingthecommission
whichisusually2%.
3.BwouldbeinformedbyAaboutthethepassword.
4.NowBwillcontactY,tellsthepasswordandcollectsthemoney(2%commissionis
deducted)
5.NowXowesYmoneywhichissettledlater.
HowdoestheHawaladargetMoneyformakingthepayments?
Inmanycases,Hawalaagentsorbrokersrunsomebusinessotherthanthehawalaagency.
Sotheyhavesurplusofliquidmoneyinhandtocarryoutthetransactions.
Typically,hawalabrokersarebusinesspartnersengagedinimportandexportofgoods.A
hawalabrokermaybepayingoffthecostofgoods,bygivingmoneytothebeneficiary.
Sometimes,thehawalabrokersmaybeengagedinillegaltransferofgoodslikedrugsor
preciousgemsandjewellery.
Tomovegoodsillegallytheywouldprintaninvoicewithlessermoneythantheactual
value.Whenahawalaoperatorpaysarecipient,hemightbeactuallypayingoffthedebt
owedbyhimtotheoperator.(Insimplewords,thisfrontendimportexport
businessisthebackchannelforthetransferofillegal/hawalamoney.)
Thehawalaagentskeepatallyofthemoneythattheyowetoeachother.Oncethe
settlementisdone,theydontkeepanyrecordofthattransaction,makingthehawalavery
difficulttotrace.
Hawalabrokersmaybeclosefriendsorrelatives,makingthemoneytransferhappen
smoothly.Quiteoften,thehawalabrokerswhoaretakingpartinatransactionsitdistant
apart.Theyusuallycommunicatethroughmobilephoneorsatellitephoneoremailand
mostofthetransactionshappenwithoutmeetingtheotherperson.
WhydopeopleuseHawala?
FastandconvenientUsuallytakes12daysforatransactiontobecompleted
Toavoidtax
Lowcommissionratescomparedtothehighrateschargedbybanks
EaseofusageYouneednotfillforms,submitproofs,sractchyourheadaboutthe
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3
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exchangeratesandtrackthetransactionwhichiscommonintradtionalbanking.

TheAnonymityfactorSincenoofficialrecordsaremaintained,thesourceofthe
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moneycannotbetraced.ThisbenefitisexploitedbyTerrorists,Smugglersandother
antisocialelements.

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MoneylaunderingToconvertblackmoneytowhitemoney
ReliableInternationalmoneytransfersystemworkingisreallycomplexwiththe
correspondentbanks.Itisarealheadachetotrackthemoneyincaseofsomemistake.
Andalsoasthehawalabrokerinmostofthecasesispersonallyknowntoyouthe
trustfactorishigher.
WhoaretheseHawaladars?
Hecanbeataxidriver,localbusinessman,importexportdealer,videoshopowner
someoneusuallywithalowprofilebutverygoodconnections.
HowmuchmoneydoestheHawaladarsmake?
AmidscalehawalaagentearnsaprofitofRs11.25lakhdailyandhisbusinesswillbe
intherangeofRs4croredaily.Hisoperationsisrunfromasmallofficewithacouple
oflandlineconnections,atelephoneoperator,awriterfortakingdownpaymentdetails,
twothreedriversfordoorstepcollections,awatchmanandacook.InIndia,hewould
eitherhavesubagentsorateamof2030distributionagentsfordoorstepdelivery.
ManyinKeralabelievethathawalaisnotjustpureeconomicsit'salsoa
socialsystem.AhawalaagentoperatingoutofDubaiexplainsthedynamics."A
workergetsjustoneweeklyoffonFriday.Itistheweeklyoffforbanksandmoney
transferagencies.Theworkerjustgivesusacallandwecollectmoneyfromhis
doorstep.Intimesofneed,orfamilyemergency,hecanborrowmoneyfromusandwe
delivermoneyimmediatelytohishome.Whichbankingormoneytransferagencywill
providesuchservicesandcredit?It'salltrust,noelaboratepaperwork."Thehawalalink
togoldsmuggling
WhydotheHawaladarsgetinvolvedinsuchariskybusiness?

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

Everheardoftherisk/returntradeoffconceptwhichsaysthatthehigherriskgivesusthe
possibilityofhigherreturns.Therearenoguarantees.Buthawalaisafoolproofbusiness
wherereturnsaremostofthetimeshigher.
Itisthemostcostefficientremittancemethodtotransfermoney(mostly
unaccountable).Andyouwillalwayshavecustomerswhoarelookingforsucha
method.Sopopularandprofitable.
EasytosetupaHawalaagency.Youdontactuallyneedtoinvestininfrastructure.
Inadditiontocommissions,hawalabrokersoftenearntheirprofits
throughbypassingofficialexchangerates.Generally,thefundsenterthe
systeminthesourcecountry'scurrencyandleavethesystemintherecipientcountry's
currency.Assettlementsoftentakeplacewithoutanyforeignexchangetransactions,
theycanbemadeatotherthanofficialexchangerates.
HowmuchmoneyisusuallytransferredviaHawala?
Estimatingthesizeofhawalaandothersimilartransactionscannotbeundertakenwith
anyreliability.
AccordingtoGretchenPetersinherbookSeedsofTerror,economistsputthetotal
hawalatransfersworldwideatabout$100billionperyear.$100billiondollars!
Mostofthosetransactionsarenonthreatening.Butthereisalsoahugeopportunityto
profitfromblackhawalatheillegaltransferofmoney.Becausehawalalacks
transparency,criminalsandterroristsarealsoattractedtotheundergroundfinancial
system.Forexample,TheWorldBankandUNcalculatethathawaladealersin
HelmandandKandaharalonemove$1billionindrugmoneyeveryyear.Underground
finance:Whatsthedanger?
HowDubaibecamethehubofhawalatransactions?
Hawalabrokersarepresentinalmostallovertheworld.ButDubaiisknowntobethe
hubofhawalatransactionswheretherealestatehasthenotorious
reputationasthefrontforthehawaladealings.
ForexampleDubaiwitnesseditsbubblebetween2004and2008whenpricesandrents
roseby20percenteachmonth,drivenpurelybyspeculationandnotbyactualunderlying
demand.(moneycamefromthehawalasystem)
UnitedArabEmiratesisnotsomuchawashwithvastoilwealthbutbuiltonatoxictideof
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illicitcash:aplacewhereRussianmafiaanddrugcartelscleantheirdirtycashand
alQaidafinancesterroratrocities.AndatitsheartisDubai,aworldfinancialcentrethat
inthepast15yearshasgrownexponentially.
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AccordingtoindustrysourcesinDubai,closeto$100millionmovesfrom
IndiatoDubaieverysingleday!
Thismoneyusesthe'hawala'route,aninformalmoneytransfersystem,whererupee
getsconvertedtodollaratapremiumtomarketexchangerates.Intheprocess,Indian
blackmoneyisinvestedinDubaiproperty.AndsinceDubaichargesnotaxonrental
incomeoranycapitalgainsforpurchasedproperty,cashrichIndiansknowtheir
investmentsaresafe.
ThefactthatcashbuyersdominateDubai'spropertymarketisalsoevidentfromthe
datareleasedbytheDubaiLandDepartment,whichshowedpropertyworth8.4billion
UAEdirhamswassnappedupbycashbuyersinthefirstthreemonthsofthisyear.In
contrast,just1.99billionUAEdirhamsworthofassetswerepurchasedusingmortgages.
ThiscomesdespitemortgageprovidersintheUAEslashinginterestratesandbanks
increasingfundingoptions.
MoreovertheEscrowlawaddsanotherlayerofprotectiontoinvestors.Thelawensures
thatthemoneypaidbythem,whetherininstallmentsorupfront,goesintoanescrow
accountagainstwhichadeveloperonlywithdrawsumsproportionatetothe
constructionthathehasundertaken.Hence,investorsareprotectedfromproject
cancellations,delaysandlossofinvestments.Blackmoneyparadise:CashrichIndians
simplyloveDubaiFirstpost
Post9/11crackdownonHawalanetworks
AftertheSeptember11terroristattacks,theAmericangovernmentsuspectedthatsome
hawalabrokersmayhavehelpedterroristorganizationstotransfermoneytofundtheir
activities,butthe9/11CommissionReportsinceshowedthatthebulkofthefundswere
insteadsentbyanofficialinterbankwiretransfer.
AsaresultofintensepressurefromtheU.S.authoritiestointroducesystematicantimoney
launderinginitiativesonaglobalscale,anumberofhawalanetworkswerecloseddown
andanumberofhawaladarsweresuccessfullyprosecutedformoneylaundering.

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

WhiteHawala
Expertsemphasizedthattheoverwhelmingmajorityofthosewhousedthese
informalnetworksweredoingsoforlegitimatepurposes,andsimplychoseto
useatransactionmediumotherthanstatesupportedbankingsystems.
Today,thehawalasysteminAfghanistanisinstrumentalinprovidingfinancialservicesfor
thedeliveryofemergencyreliefandhumanitariananddevelopmentalaidforthemajority
ofinternationalanddomesticNGOs,donororganizations,anddevelopmentaidagencies.
BlackHawala
Moneyusedforfundingterroristactivities
Onestudyassertsthat10percentofallhawalatransactionsinIndiago
towardfundingterrorism,andthat30percentofterroristsmoneycomes
fromhawala.MuchofitistransferredfromtheGulf(includingDubai)to
Kerala.
Amajorchunkofterrorfundingisfromfakecurrency.
Moneylaundered(toconvertblackmoneytowhitewiththehelpofrealestate
transactionsandimportexporttrade.
Moneyearnedfromdrugtrade
AmericanambassadortoAfghanistan,EAnthonyWayne,saidthatevery
day$10mincashwasbeingsmuggledfromKabultoDubaiinbriefcases,
muchofitfromtheAfghanherointrade,whichhasboomedsincetheUS
invasion.WaynesaidaUSinvestigationfoundthat$190mincashwas
smuggledinjust18sampledays.
OriginallywrittenasananswertoWhatisthedetailedexplanationofhawalabusiness?
Sources:
Dubai'sdarksidetargetedbyinternationalfinancepolice
TracinghawalamoneytransactionsinIndia
HawalaWikipedia
UnderstandingtheDarkWorldofHawala
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WhatisHawalaMoney?Explained
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RaviRanjan,ThemoreIlearn,themoreIrealisedhowmuchIdon'tknow.
WrittenWed

Hawala,awordwhichismakingheadlinesveryoftenthesedaysandcanbeeasily
associatedwithNareshJain,MadhuKoda,HasanAliKhanandmanyotherHawala
Kings.But,WhatexactlyisHawala?Howitworks?andWhyisthisillegal?
WhatisHawala?
Theword"Hawala"meanstrust.Itsisanalternativeorparallelremittancesystem,which
worksoutsidethecircleofbanksandformalfinancialsystems.Hawalaisanancient
systemofmoneytransferwhichoriginatedinSouthAsiaandisnowbeingusedacrossthe
globe.ThissystemmainlydevelopedinIndia,beforetheintroductionofwesternbanking
practices.ItisalsosometimesreferredtoasUndergroundBanking.Thoughitisbeing
usedacrosstheworldtoremitfunds,butitisnotalegalsystem.Itworksonthebasisof
manymiddlemencalledthehawaldarsorthehawaladealers.Thereason,whyHawalais
extensivelyusedinspiteofthefactthatitisillegal,istheinseparableelementoftrustand
extensiveuseoffamilyorregionalaffiliations.

HowHawalaworks?
Hawalaworksbytransferringmoneywithoutactuallymovingit.Inahawalatransaction,
nophysicalmovementofcashisthere.Hawalasystemworkswithanetworkofoperators

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

calledHawaldarsorHawalaDealers.Apersonwillingtotransfermoney,contactsa
Hawalaoperatoratthesourcelocation.Thehawalaoperatoratthatendcollectsthe
moneyfromthatpersonwhowishestomakeatransfer.Hethencallsuponhis
counterpartortheotherHawalaoperatoratthedestinationplace/countrywasthe
transferhastobemade.Nowthehawalaoperatoratthetranfereesend,handsoverthe
cashtotheintendedrecipientafterdeductingacertainamountofcommission.Thebest
waytounderstandHawalaisthroughunderstandingasinglehawalatransaction.For
example,ChinappaisataxidriverstayingatUKonanexpiredtouristVisa.Hewantsto
remitsomemoneyforhisfamilyinIndia.Chinappacannotapproachanauthorized
moneytransferagent/bankthereasheisanillegalimmigrantintheUK.ThusChinappa
finallylandsupatahawalaoperatorsoffice,whonotonlypromiseshimtodeliverthecash
tohisnativeplaceinIndiaatareasonablecommission,butalsoinaveryshortperiodof
time.ChinappathenhandsoverthecashtotheUKhawalaoperator.TheUKhawala
operatorthencallshisIndiancounterpartandaskshimtodeliverfundstoChinappas
familymember.AnymemberofChinappasfamilycannowcollectcashfromtheIndian
Hawalaoperator,afterdeductionofcommissionchargesandonproducingan
authenticationcode,whichisgenerallyusedinallhawalatransactions.AreverseHawala
transactioncanalsobeinitiated,whereafatherapproachesthesameIndianhawala
operatorforremittingfundsforhissonstudyinginUKthroughtheUKhawalaoperator.
Inthismanner,moneyneveractuallymoves.Thepositionofthehawalaoperatorsineach
othersbooksgetssquaredoff.

IsHawalaIllegal?
Yes,Hawalahasbeenmadeillegalinmanycountries,asitisseentobeaformofmoney
launderingandcanbeusedtomovewealthanonymously.Ashawalatransactionsarenot
routedthroughbankstheycannotberegulatedbythegovernmentagenciesandhavethus
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emergedasamajorcauseofconcern.Thisnetworkisbeingusedextensivelyacrossthe
globetocirculateblackmoneyandtoprovidefundsforterrorism,drugtraffickingand
otherillegalactivities.InIndia,FEMA(ForeignExchangeManagementAct)2000and
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PMLA(PreventionofMoneyLaunderingAct)2002arethetwomajorlegislationswhich
makesuchtransactionsillegal.

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WhypeoplestilluseHawala?
Inspiteofthefactthathawalatransactionsareillegal,peopleusethismethodbecauseof
thefollowingreasons:
Thecommissionratesfortransferringmoneythroughhawalaarequitelow
Norequirementofanyidproofanddisclosureofsourceofincomeisthere
Ithasemergedasareliableandefficientsystemofremittance
Asthereisnophysicalmovementofcash,hawalaoperatorsprovidebetterexchange
ratesascomparedtotheofficialexchangerates
Itisasimpleandhasslefreeprocesswhencomparedtotheextensivedocumentation
beingdonebythebanks
Itistheonlywaytotransferunaccountedincome
So,thenexttimeyoucomeacrossthewordHawala,Iamsureyouwillbeabletodrawa
pictureaboutthetransactioninyourmind.
Discalimer:IdonotrecommendyoutousetheHawalamethodformoney
transfer.Thisanswerismeantsolelyforthepurposeofquenchingyour
Hawalathirst.

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

ThankYou.
ImageCourtesy:GoogleImages
Source:WhatisHawala?
Update:
QuestionHowdothehawaldarsatthesourceanddestinationsettletheirbalances
betweenthemselves?
AnswerTypically,HawalabrokersorHawaldarsarebusinesspartnersengagedin
importandexportofgoods.Theymaybeengagedinillegaltransfersofgoodslikedrugs
orpreciousgemsandjewellery.
Tomovegoodsillegallytheywouldprintaninvoicewithlessermoneythantheactual
value.Whenahawalaoperatorpaysarecipient,hemightbeactuallypayingofthe
debtsownedbyhimtotheoperator.
Apartfrombusinesssettlements,rarely,thefundingcanbefromillegalmeansasaneffort
tolaundermoney.Thebackpaymentbetweenthehawalabrokerscanhappenasa
counterhawalatransactionaswell.
Thehawalaagentskeepatallyofthemoneythattheyowetoeachother.Oncethe
settlementisdone,theydontkeepanyrecordofthattransaction,makingthehawala
verydifficulttotrace.
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Downvote Comments 6+

DeepakKumar,Indian,Architect,wantstounderstand,helpandbeknown
.
WrittenJun20,2014

YourbrothercallsyoufromIndia,needsRs.1Lakhforhissemesterfee.Yousay,no
problemoletmelookintoit.
Youapproachyourlocalbankandaskthemtoremit1000toyourbrother.Thebank
saysitwillgiveyouRs95forevery(insteadof100asperprevailingmarketrates)plusit
willchargeyou25forthetransaction.Inshort,you'llhavetospendabout1080tobe
abletosend1Lakhtoyourbrother
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Youthink,there'sgottobeabetterway...andreturnhome.Thesameeveningyoucrib
aboutthistoyournighbourAsiffromKarachi.He,aftermuchdeliberation,givesyoua
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numberandasksyoutocallwithhisreference.Youdothat,andthepersonontheother
endcallsyoutoaseedylittleshopinIlford.
SweatinginthecoldweatheryoutellIqbalaboutyourproblem.Hesays,nottoworry,he
canofferyouabetterpriceandaninstantpayment.HeoffersyouRs98forevery.
whichmeansyoucanpayhim1020andyourbrothergetshis1lakhtheverynextday.
youcalculateandfindthisamuchbetteroffer.Youpayhimthemoneythereisno
receipt,onlyhisword.AfteryouleaveIqbalcallsHameedinHyderabad.Hameed,inturn,
callsyourbrothertoashoeshopintheoldcity,Hyderabad.
Whenyourbrothergetsthere,Hameedgiveshimaplasticbagcontainingabundleof
1000rupeenotes.Hundredinall,itamountsto1lakhrupees.Noquestionsasked,your
brothernervouslytucksthemoneyinhisshirtandisonhisway.

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Youthinkyouhavetransferredathousandquidtoyourbrotherwithoutanybanking
hassles,inrealityit'sHameedwho'stransferred1lakhINRtohisnetworkinBritain
withoutanybankingtrail.
ThisishowaHawalanetworkworks.Withthousandsofexpatsusingiteveryday,the
amountisinthousandsofcroresandisaperfectfaadeforotherillegaltransactions.
Therealfleshhowevercomesfromtransactionsworththousandsofcroresmadeby
industrialistsandpoliticiansandisusedbythehawalahandlerstotofundtheirillegal
tradeslikedrugsandarms,terroristnetworksandantinational'revolutions'.
Dr.SubramanianSwamy
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AbdulHameed,LecturerinInternationalRelations
WrittenJun28

Mostoftheanswersdealwiththesystemquitethoroughly.Buttheinclusionoffunding
forterrorismandillegalactivitiesispurepropagandafabricationandaconvenientlie,as

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(1)HowdoestheHawalasystemoftransferringmoneywork?Quora

everythingthathappensforactionswhichgovernmentsareslowtoaddress,especiallyfor
thepoorandneglectedmassofthepopulation.Takethisscenario:Apooryoungman
fromareallyremotevillagefromSouthAsiamustersthecourageandthemoneytogotoa
foreignlandtoworkandearnforhisfamily.Imaginetheproblems,pitfallsandunknowns
hehastoface.Onceinthefarawayunknownlandwithstrangepeople,strangelanguage
andstrangecustomsandbehaviourheisforcedtowork12to18hoursdaily,usually
withoutadayoff,forameagrepittanceofapay.Heenduresharshtreatment,sometime
brutalandmerciless,foodthatisunfitforhumans,livingconditionsborderingonthe
unimaginable.Andhehastosaveeverypennytoberemittedhome.Butathomenobody
knowswhattheoutsideofabanklookslike,letalonetheinside.Goingtoabankwouldbe
alongexpensivejourney.Andpoorguyifhedecidestoremithomehisearningsthrougha
bankhehastopaythebankexchangerate,remittancefeesandchargesthatmight
amounttoabigportionofthesmallamountofhishardearnedsavings.Ifheisworking
inaremotelocationoverseasthenhistraveltothebank,ifheisallowed,andthecosttoo
hastobecountedin.Hewouldmostprobablyallowedtogotothebank,butwithoutthe
dayswages!Nowbringinthehawalaman.Lookattheserviceheprovidesandthesavings
heaffords.
Onthefundingillegalarmstradefallacy.Theexchangeofmoneyisonlyonefacet.What
aboutthesellingandbuying,movementandstorageoftheweapons?Andwhoarethe
peoplewhofomenttheproblemsthatneedweaponsforitssolutions?Aretheythe
hawalas?Whoactuallyisbehindthefundingofthearmspurchase?Goingafterthe
hawalasisalameexcuseandisakintoshootingthemessenger.
Onthepresentdayfadofassociatingeachandeverythingtoterrorism,countthe
magnitudeofdeath,maimanddestructioncausedbystaterunterrorismusuallyand
everytimeonfilmsydrummedupissuestowitthestateterrorismcausingthedestruction
ofAfghanistan,IraqandSyria.TheinvasionofIraqwasbasicallyofafilialsonwantingto
restorethehonourofthefamily.(BushJr.wantingtosavefaceforthefamilybyremoving
themosaicofBushSr.faceembeddedintheentranceofahotelinBaghdad.)
Whenyoukillanddestroywholefamiliesandcommunities,whatdoyouexpecttheir
childrentodo?Thehumannatureofwantingtoseekjusticebyretaliationisnamed
terrorism.Butitisalsocivilisedasseekingjusticeandromanticisedasresistance.
So,doweseethatthehawalaweredoingawonderfulhumanserviceatverylowcosttoa
populacethattheestablishedsystemmarginalisedandtotallyspurnedasthepoor.
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SiddharthJain,Iamgoodatearningit!!Simple!!
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InHawalathereisNosystemassuch,butforeasyunderstandingitamoneytransfer
routewhichskipsthebankingandlegalchannels.
Let'stakeanexample,yougotodubaiforholidayandyoufindsomethingnicetobuybut
don'thaveenoughmoneytobuyit.YouhaveyourunclelivinginDubaifromwhomyou
takesomemoneyforyourshoppingandpromisehimtoreturnthemoneyinIndiaathis
nativehome.Now,assimpleasthissoundeventhismoneytransactionisalsoHawala!!
Cozyouskippedanentirebankingchannelformulticurrencytransaction!!
Similarlyasothershaveexplainedsimilarworkisdonebymanypeopleforamuchsmaller
feesthenaregularbankingchannel.Thuscreatinganundergroundchannelformoney
transactionwhichcauseahugelossforallthenationsinvolved.Butevenscarierthisis
alsothebiggestrouteforterrorismfunding.
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