Western Union’s New Mobile Messaging X-Border Deal

Western Union is partnering with instant messaging service Viber to extend its mobile money transfer service to over 664 million users.

The service will leverage Western Union’s Connect platform, which the global payments solution provider launched in October of last year. The platform essentially equips IM services and social media channels with the capability to provide money transfer services. It also allows users to transfer money using debit cards, credit cards or bank accounts to a Western Union-registered retail agent, a mobile wallet or another bank account, Western Union said in a statement.

“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 omnichannel network,” said Hikmet Ersek, president and CEO of Western Union.

With the integration of Western Union‘s service into Viber’s platform, users will now be able to wire up to $499 to receivers in over 200 countries, right from Viber’s messaging screen, without even leaving it.

“Our users are already using Viber to stay in touch with friends and families worldwide, so the ability to send money to loved ones through the app is a natural next step,” said Michael Shmilov, chief operating officer of Viber. “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.”

And while partnering with Viber might mean exposing itself to a whole new set of security threats and challenges, Western Union said that it’s confident that its robust technology is capable of securely handling foreign exchange conversion, data management and regulatory matters with its anti-money laundering infrastructure, which also promises fast and efficient handling of funds.