Heritage Hub Federal Credit Union, a community credit union in Houston, Texas, launched instant international payments with Instarails, starting with the Philippines. It went live from day one with no core integration, and is using the service to bring in new members who also borrow, save and bank with the credit union.
Payments bring new members in. Loans, deposits and savings are where the revenue comes from. If Heritage Hub attracts just 1% of the Houston residents who send money abroad, Instarails projects about $490,500 in revenue in year one. That is just 0.1% of the metro area’s 1.7 million immigrants.
| Source of value | Year-one projection |
|---|---|
| New members (0.1% of 1.7 million immigrants) | 1,701 |
| Mortgages* | $357,000 |
| Auto loans | $83,000 |
| Global payments | $25,000 |
| High-yield savings and CDs | $17,000 |
| Direct deposit | $8,500 |
| Total revenue | $490,500 |
| New loan potential | $23 million |
*Heritage Hub does not offer mortgages yet. This figure shows the potential revenue once it does.
This is a projection, not a result. It is expected to grow in later years as the loan portfolio matures.
Instarails is a cross-border payments company for financial institutions. Its white-label solution sits inside your own app or digital banking experience, so your members can send money abroad under your brand, with payments arriving in minutes in more than 150 countries.
Instarails is FinCEN-registered and SOC 2 Type II certified.
Credit unions and community banks can go live through the Instarails portal, with no core integration and no new staff. Heritage Hub Federal Credit Union in Houston launched this way, and can move to a full integration as volume grows.
Payments arrive in minutes, in the recipient's bank account or mobile wallet abroad, instead of the days a traditional wire can take.
Start with one to three top corridors based on your community's demand, then expand to the more than 150 countries Instarails supports. Heritage Hub started with the Philippines, including any Philippine bank account and GCash and Maya wallets.
International payments bring in new members and customers, who then borrow, save and bank with the institution. Instarails projects about $490,500 in year-one revenue for Heritage Hub if it attracts just 0.1% of the Houston metro area’s 1.7 million immigrants as new members. This is a projection, not a result.
Yes. Instarails takes care of the integration, so members and customers can send money abroad themselves from their credit union's or bank's app. Heritage Hub will launch the service in its own app next.
If your members send money abroad, Instarails can help you launch quickly and grow your membership. Book a call.
Heritage Hub Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit community credit union in Houston, Texas, chartered by the NCUA in 2025. Federally insured by NCUA. heritagehubfederal.org
Instarails provides cross-border payments infrastructure for financial institutions and businesses, with instant transfers to more than 150 countries in over 70 currencies.
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"What sold me on Instarails is that I don't deal with a wallet at all. My US clients send payment and it arrives directly in my Fidelity Bank Ghana account as GHS — instantly, at the best FX rate I've seen. Before, I was waiting days for SWIFT transfers to clear and losing over 5% to fees and poor conversion rates. Now the money arrives in minutes, ready to use — and because it's sitting in my bank account, not a wallet, I'm actually earning interest on it. It's changed how efficiently I run my travel business."
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"As a freelancer working with U.S. clients, I used to dread payment day. Between bank wire fees and terrible exchange rates, I was losing approximately 3% on every invoice. On a $10,000 project, that's $300 — almost ₹25,000 — just vanishing. Since I started using Instarails, everything changed. I send my invoice, my client pays, and the money hits my account instantly at the best FX rate with the lowest fees. Plus, I get a proper invoice for my records. "
