Absa, a South Africa-based retail bank and a subsidiary of Barclays Bank and Western Union have enhanced their joint service offering to Absa accountholders by allowing them to access the Western Union Money Transfer service to send or receive cross-border money transfers using either a cell phone or internet banking.

Absa and Western Union have developed an advanced solution for Absa accountholders wanting to transfer money to friends and family living abroad.

The service complements the ongoing nationwide roll-out of the Western Union Money Transfer service within Absa branches and is available to eligible Absa accountholders who are registered for internet banking and/or individual cellphone banking, in full compliance with the regulatory framework of South Africa.

Alfie Naidoo, group chief operating officer of Absa Bank, said: “Account-based money transfer service through Western Union bears testament to Absa’s innovative approach to financial services by providing customers with value-added products which complement our current offering. It’s through this approach that we increasingly own more of the payment services space in South Africa for both local and international transactions.”