Western Union rolls out its remittance mobile app in Singapore

Customers can send money directly into international bank accounts and mobile wallets.

Cross-border money transfer firm Western Union launched its mobile app in Singapore which will enable customers send money directly into bank accounts and mobile wallets worldwide, an announcement revealed.

According to the firm, customers can pay for their transactions within the app using a choice of card or account, on top of having the option to pay in-person at any of Western Union’s agent locations.

“This multi-channel capability utilises our growing international bank and wallet payout network and further monetises our iconic retail network,” Molly Shea, Western Union’s senior VP and general manager for global money transfer in Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

The app will be able to iOS and Android users and will enable customers to estimate fees and foreign exchange rates for online money transfers, track past and pending transactions as well as provide payout options available in the receivers’ country.

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To use the their latest service, customers are required to register on the app where a verification email will be sent to the registered email or phone number. Once confirmed, customers can proceed to enter their personal and valid ID details which include National Registration Identity Cards (NRICs), passports and driving licenses.

“Western Union customers can conveniently send money anytime, with a few clicks from their mobile phones,” the firm highlighted.

Singapore joins Hong Kong and Malaysia in benefitting from Western Union’s digital acceleration efforts across the world, the announcement noted.

Singapore is a major hub for money movement and is the fourth largest remitter in Asia after Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia, remitting more than $8.35b (US$6.1b) in 2017, according to a report by International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

“It is propelled largely by its international standing as a popular international labour market for professionals, offering both high and low skill employment opportunities,” Western Union added. “In addition, its citizens enjoy familial connections to nearly every country in the world.”

The firm noted how in 2017, Western Union moved money into 175 countries from Singapore.