This week, The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global
payment services, will celebrate 20 years of providing cross-border
money movement solutions to consumers in Africa and African diaspora
living outside of their home countries.
Over two decades, Western Union has expanded the choice for consumers
both through its extensive retail network on the continent and with new
digital capabilities through technology advances, facilitating access to
Africa’s most urban and rural areas. Today, consumers have the choice of
using multi-channels to send or receive remittances from more than 200
countries and territories – either using the company’s 35,000 walk-in
retail locations in Africa, or through connections to millions of bank
accounts and mobile wallets in more than 50 countries and territories
across Africa. The Western Union network serves millions of senders and
receivers with a choice of more than 130 currencies.
“Together with our global Agent network, our mobile and other digital
technologies are fostering new economic opportunities for individuals
and businesses across Africa,” said Western Union President and CEO
Hikmet Ersek, who will discuss how Western Union’s technology
solutions, in combination with its global pay-in, pay-out network, are
fostering economic development and financial inclusion for consumers and
businesses with government ministers, business leaders, trade
associations, agent partners and officials from Morocco, Gabon and other
African nations.
“Western Union is revolutionizing the remittance market by reinventing
cross-border money transfer and payments solutions. Our digital
services, offered together with our retail capabilities, are enabling
Africans and citizens around the world to effectively and efficiently
transfer money and realize their economic potential.”
During the visit, the Western Union Foundation will award a total of
US$200,000 in grants, in partnership with Western Union Agents, to three
different NGOs across the continent, namely SOS Children’s Villages in
Morocco, Attawfiq Micro-Finance in Morocco and to the Ecole Nationale
pour Les Enfants Deficients Auditifs (National School for Hearing
Impaired Children, ENEDA) in Gabon, as part of Western Union Education
for Better program.
Western Union has established a track record of evolving the ‘funds-in,
funds-out’ model in anticipation of consumer needs, including mobile
adoption. Recently, the company launched WU® Connect℠, a new technology
platform that integrates with leading consumer messaging and social
media platforms providing users a unique way to conveniently transfer
money.
“Western Union has a 164-year history in the finance industry. Through
innovation, we strive to create an integrated consumer experience where
the power of online and mobile technology supports our retail Agent
network capabilities, and gives consumers and businesses an easy way to
send money to nearly anywhere around the world, from the palm of their
hand,” added Ersek.
“Africans are embracing new technologies,” said Aida Diarra, Regional
Vice President and Head of Africa, Western Union. “We pride
ourselves on being ahead of the trend and are pleased to be on the
ground, playing a role in enabling a world of possibilities for Africa.”
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment
services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western
Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western
Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and
convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send
payments and to purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2015,
the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered
through a combined network of over 500,000 agent locations in 200
countries and territories and over 100,000 ATMs and kiosks, and included
the capability to send money to hundreds of millions of accounts. In
2014, The Western Union Company completed 255 million
consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $85 billion of
principal between consumers, and 484 million business payments. For more
information, visit www.WesternUnion.com.
About the Western Union Foundation
The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better world,
where the ability to realize dreams through economic opportunity is not
just a privilege for the few but a right for all. Through its signature
program, Education for Better, and with the support of The
Western Union Company, its employees, Agents, and business partners, The
Western Union Foundation works to realize this vision by supporting
education and disaster relief efforts as pathways toward a better
future. Our combined social ventures efforts make life better for
individuals, families and communities around the world. Since its
inception, The Western Union Foundation has paid more than $104 million
in grants and other giving. These funds have been pledged to more than
2,918 nongovernmental organizations in more than 136 countries and
territories. The Western Union Foundation is a separate §501(c)(3)
recognized United States charity. To learn more, visit www.westernunionfoundation.org,
or Follow us on Twitter @TheWUFoundation.
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