# Western Union

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/western-union
> research date 2026-06-01 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Western Union — official](https://www.westernunion.com/)

## Overview

**Western Union** is **NYSE: WU** + **US-based global money transfer + remittance operator + retail agent network** + **world's largest money transfer + remittance network by transaction volume + retail agents 550,000+ across 200+ countries** + **~150M+ annual Western Union customers worldwide** <sup>[1][1], [United States report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/US)</sup>.

## History

**Apr 1851 — New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company founded** distinctive US telegraph + money transfer heritage.

**1856 — Renamed Western Union Telegraph Company**.

**1871 — Western Union introduces first wire money transfer service** distinctive US money transfer founding.

**Sep 29 2006 — Western Union spun off from First Data Corporation as standalone NYSE-listed company**.

**2010 — Western Union Send Money mobile app launch**.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Western Union Company** (US-based global money transfer + remittance operator + retail agent network; NYSE: WU).

**Major shareholders**: **US + international retail + institutional + foreign investors free float (no major controlling shareholder)**.

**Regulators**: **FinCEN + Federal Reserve + state regulators + national regulators across 200+ countries**.

## Technical integration

Western Union Send Money mobile app (iOS + Android; ~150M+ annual Western Union customers worldwide) + westernunion.com online + Western Union retail agent network 550,000+ retail agents in 200+ countries + Western Union Visa + Mastercard cards; ACH + SWIFT + FedNow + cash-based money transfer + remittance + bank account transfers + mobile wallet transfers.

## Implementations & partners

**Major US-based + global money transfer + remittance competitors**: [MoneyGram](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/moneygram) (MoneyGram International; US-based global money transfer + remittance operator + retail agent network; ~50M+ annual MoneyGram customers worldwide; Madison Dearborn Partners private equity controlling post-Jun 2023 ~$1.8B take-private acquisition) + [Ria Money Transfer](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/ria-money-transfer) (Ria Money Transfer; Euronet Worldwide NASDAQ: EEFT US-based subsidiary global money transfer + remittance) + [Remitly](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/remitly-app) (Remitly; NASDAQ: RELY; US-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance) + [WorldRemit (Zepz)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/worldremit) (WorldRemit Zepz; UK-based mobile-first global money transfer + remittance) + [Wise (formerly TransferWise)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/wise) (Wise; UK + global multi-currency account + cross-border transfers) + [Xoom (PayPal)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/xoom) (Xoom PayPal-owned US-based global money transfer + remittance) + [PayPal](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/paypal) (PayPal; NASDAQ: PYPL; US-based global digital payment platform + Xoom + Honey + Venmo parent) + [Venmo](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/venmo) (Venmo; PayPal-owned US-based P2P mobile wallet) + [Cash App](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/cash-app) (Cash App; Block NYSE: SQ US-based P2P mobile wallet) + [Zelle](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/zelle) (Zelle; Early Warning Services LLC US bank consortium P2P payment network; ~125M+ US users).

**Regulators**: FinCEN + Federal Reserve + state regulators + national regulators across 200+ countries.

## Status

**Active, NYSE:WU + US-based global money transfer + remittance operator + retail agent network + world's largest money transfer + remittance network by transaction volume + retail agents 550,000+ across 200+ countries + ~150M+ annual Western Union customers worldwide** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.westernunion.com/ "Western Union — official"
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Union "Western Union — Wikipedia"
[us-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/US

- [1] [Western Union — official][1]
- [2] [Western Union — Wikipedia][2]
- <sup>[United States report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/US)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/US-united-states.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [western-union.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/western-union). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.