US financial services company Western Union is expanding its collaboration with the UK Post Office to provide retail cross-border money transfers.
UK Post Office customers will now be able to benefit from Western Union’s omni-channel experience, choosing to send money to their families and loved ones overseas via Western Union’s UK Post Office digital services or in-person at 4,000 UK Post Office locations across the UK.
Customers can now start transactions digitally or in a retail location and have their funds paid out in cash, directly onto a card, into a mobile wallet, or directly into a bank account, via Western Union’s global network.
Devin McGranahan, president and CEO, Western Union, said, “I am delighted that Western Union, one of the world’s biggest financial networks, and UK Post Office, the UK’s biggest retail network, are expanding our collaboration, aiming to serve our customers better in a transformed post-pandemic environment. At the same time, today’s announcement shows how we at Western Union continue to see our leadership in retail as critical to our success, and as a critical element of our omni-channel offering. As we continue to expand our global network, we will seek not only to improve access, but also, importantly, working with our partners, to truly transform the retail experience we offer our customers, in the UK and across the world.”
Many of the 4,000 UK Post Office locations where Western Union’s retail services will be initially rolled out are located in communities across the country that have seen increasing volumes of closures of local bank and credit union branches.
Nick Read, CEO, UK Post Office, said, “I am delighted to be expanding our partnership with Western Union, allowing customers to choose whether they want to use the money transfer service digitally or prefer to do it face-to-face. Postmasters are knowledgeable, reliable and can provide that assurance that a transaction has gone through with a printed receipt which many of our customers still value. Furthermore, this expanded partnership helps drive footfall into 4,000 of our branches providing postmasters with increased remuneration opportunities.”
The planned activation of Western Union’s UK Post office retail cross-border money transfers is scheduled for autumn 2022.