BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — As the number of Venezuelans fleeing their country's deepening economic and humanitarian crisis climbs, a burgeoning lifeline for those back home is emerging — remittances.

Skirting strict currency controls, dozens of mostly small-scale businesses run by a handful of Venezuelan exiles entirely online have opened abroad to help emigres convert their dollars and pesos into Venezuelan bolivars that are sent within minutes into a relative's Venezuelan bank account.

The remittances are big business. Independent experts estimate Venezuelans now send at least $1 billion a year to friends and family members that they've left behind.

That money is critical at a time when Venezuela's minimum wage is now worth less than $2 a month.