Singapore based study finds Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines as the #2 destination with 178,000 US residents and 22% YoY growth while a $4.2 billion annual cross border financial services gap remains structurally underserved across the region.
SINGAPORE, May 12, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- New research published by ROSHI, a Singapore based lending fintech finds that 788,000 American citizens are now living in Southeast Asia representing a 61% increase since 2019 and on track to exceed one million by 2027.
The full report is available at ROSHI - American Lifestyle Migration To South East Asia
The report draws on US State Department data, regional visa issuance records, a 2,400 respondent survey across six markets and cross referenced data from the Association of Americans Resident Overseas and the InterNations Global Expat Index.
It examines the Southeast Asian portion of the broader "AmerExit" trend, recently documented by The Wall Street Journal which found that in 2025 the United States experienced its first net negative migration since the Great Depression.
Key findings:
- Thailand leads the region with 246,000 American residents and 14% year-on-year growth supported by the 2022 Long Term Resident Visa
- Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines to become the second most popular destination with 178,000 residents and 22% growth which represents the highest in the region
- Retirees aged 50 to 70 represent 38% of all US migrants while remote workers aged 28 to 42 are the fastest growing segment at 31%
- Digital nomad to permanent resident conversion rates have nearly tripled, from 12% in 2019 to 34% in 2024
The report also identifies a $4.2 billion annual unmet financial services demand from this population:
- 67% of US migrants cannot open a local bank account
- 41% have no local credit history after two or more years in their host country
- $2,400 per year average paid in unnecessary foreign exchange conversion fees
- A retired American with a $1.2 million portfolio and an 800 FICO score cannot obtain a $5,000 credit card from a Thai bank
ROSHI is a Singapore based fintech startup founded in 2022 that specializes in AI-powered loan matching and digital lending across Southeast Asia. It acts as a real-time marketplace, connecting borrowers with banks and licensed lenders for personal, home and business loans.
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