Western Union now offers payout into a global network of four billion accounts and wallets across 100 countries

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Image: Western Union's digital services now available in 75 countries. (Credit: Pixabay/Pexels.)

Western Union, a cross-currency money movement and payments company, announced that it has expanded its digital money transfer services to more than 75 countries.

The company is also now offering payout into a global network of 4 billion accounts and wallets across 100 countries, in addition to agent network across 200 countries.

Western Union stated that its end-to-end digital payments service benefits customers by offering option for online services, after they have been directed with stay-at-home orders as a result of COVID-19 outbreak.

The money transfer services provider also claims to have been working its partners and regulators across the world to continue to offer money transfer services as an essential service to communities during this period of crisis.

The efforts include easy onboarding or assisted services such as the recently announced ‘Digital locations’ available in select countries.

Western Union president and CEO Hikmet Ersek said: “We are proud that our digital strategy, prioritized years ago, is enabling real-time digital payments for customers and businesses. We are humbled to serve an ever-broader array of customers, giving them greater ease, access and confidence in every transaction they make, while upholding what matters most to them – speed, reliability, convenience and trust.

“This is even more important during these challenging COVID-19 times. While the vast majority of our retail network remains open, some of our retail locations in certain areas have been impacted by local government closure directives.

“Money flows are a vital source of income for many of our customers, including our business clients and partners. Amid the current uncertainty, we are doing everything we can to keep money moving to where it is needed most, across the world.”

Western Union has recently launched ‘Digital Location’, a new channel for its customers to have a personalised money transfer experience from their homes.

The Digital Location service launched as a pilot in select countries

As a pilot, the service will be available for customers in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Oman. The new service enables customers to connect in multiple languages via a voice or video call to a money transfer personal-service assistant who will help them in completing the transaction.

They can also electronically complete their transactions funded by card or payout into Western Union’s network of bank accounts, wallets or Agent retail locations.

The service was started as a several countries are implementing COVID-19 lockdowns or restricted movement and some of Western Union agent locations have also been directed to close temporarily by local authorities.