Sunday 24 August 2008

Western Union, Smart launch mobile phone-enabled remittance service

GLOBAL remittance firm Western Union Co. has tied up with local wireless service provider Smart Communications Inc. for a mobile phone-enabled money remittance service for Filipinos living and working abroad.

In a statement over the weekend, Smart announced the launch of its Smart Money platform, a reloadable payment card linked to a mobile phone, for overseas Filipino workers in Hawaii and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The company said it would gradually roll out the service for other Filipino communities abroad.

"We are pleased to combine Western Union’s global reach with Smart’s active subscriber base to pilot a low-denomination mobile remittance channel," said Matt Dill, senior vice-president and head of Western Union Digital Ventures.

An estimated 160,000 Filipinos live and work in Hawaii and over 500,000 Filipinos are found in the UAE.

When fully launched, the company said the service would eventually benefit the over nine million Filipinos abroad. [Read more]

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