Western Union has signed an agreement with Viber, a mobile messaging app, to expand its digital-based money transfer business capabilities.
The partnership will enable Western Union users to transact money virtually anywhere in the world through the app.
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Western Union in a statement said that the collaboration would leverage the recently launched WU Connect platform, and will focus on three key sectors such as send money around the world, users experience for the messaging world and Integrated solutions.
Introduced in 2015, WU Connect allows third-party digital platforms to integrate with Western Union to offer an integrated mobile money transfer capability to their users.
They could also fund the money transfer using their debit card, credit card or bank account and easily direct the funds to any participating Western Union retail agent location around the world, a mobile wallet or a bank account where available.
Western Union president and CEO Hikmet Ersek said: "Through this alliance with Viber we continue our positive momentum to increase the number of ways to move funds into our global FinTech cross-border platform, expanding our digital omni-channel network."
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By GlobalDataViber COO Michael Shmilov said: "Viber’s alliance with Western Union is our first step into this direction and it gives our users a new way to quickly and conveniently send money to friends and family."
Western Union EVP and CIO David Thompson said: "The WU Connect platform offers an opportunity to create more meaningful and engaging relationships for users of third-party digital platforms and is really a win-win for both Western Union and the companies we work with."
