PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment
services, today announced plans to help facilitate the “last mile” and
bridge the gap between government payments that need to be disbursed and
the people who receive them.
Initially, the Western Union service will enable parents with school-age
children, university students and senior citizens to access government
and emergency payments at more than 600 Western Union Agent locations
across Haiti. Future plans may include offering a wider array of pay-out
options including: bank accounts, mobile phones or prepaid cards.
The government of Haiti has developed a wide array of conditional cash
transfer programs under the Ede Pep (Help People) umbrella that have
successfully addressed the needs of school children, university
students, the handicapped and approximately 200,000 women, children and
men across Haitian society.
“Western Union is one of only a handful of global brands with an
unparalleled consumer reach, the ability to connect remote communities
to the global economy, and the solutions to propel financial inclusion
and help communities and businesses move forward,” said Hikmet Ersek,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Western Union.
“The introduction of our service in Haiti will help facilitate
government payments supporting social programs across the country, and
is part of our business strategy to harness the power of our global
money transfer platform. Our multi-channel and multi-product offerings
can help create economic growth opportunities for consumers and
businesses, and ultimately, nations in many parts of the world.”
“World leaders and businesses are faced with pressures both at home and
across borders that are stretching resources, and Western Union can help
move money to more than 200 countries and territories across the globe,”
concluded Ersek.
According to the Prime Minister of Haiti, Laurent Lamothe, “the Haitian
government seeks relationships with companies such as Western Union to
improve the delivery of services to its citizens by accessing
state-of-the-art technology. Our linkage with Western Union shows how
international businesses can play a key role in Haiti’s recovery.”
Western Union services are offered in Haiti through a strategically
combined Agent network that includes banks, retail chains and
independent locations.
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 December 31, 2012, the Western Union, Vigo
and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined
network of approximately 510,000 agent locations in 200 countries and
territories. In 2012, The Western Union Company completed 231 million
consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $79 billion of
principal between consumers, and 432 million business payments. For more
information, visit www.westernunion.com.
WU-G
Source: Western Union