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.