Western Union Pulls Plug on Digital Banking Service

Western Union Digital Bank is being discontinued, is ending its services and will close all accounts two months after users have received their closure notice, the service’s operator, Western Union International Bank, said in a legal notice on its German website.

“We regularly review our products and services,” the bank said in the legal notice. “Following one of these reviews, we decided to discontinue Western Union Digital Bank.”

Western Union International Bank is an independent agent within the Western Union money transfer network; is headquartered in Vienna, Austria; and is regulated by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), according to its About Us page.

It was founded in 2004 as part of the Western Union Group, according to another page.

The FMA said in a July 14 announcement that it imposed a 42,000 euro (about $47,900) fine on Western Union International Bank for breaches of the reporting obligations of the digital operational resilience in the financial sector (DORA) rules. The bank delayed reporting information and communication technology-related incidents (ICT-related incidents), according to the announcement.

DORA took effect in January 2025 and imposed stricter regulations on banks and their IT providers across the European Union, requiring enhanced IT risk management, resilience testing and third-party risk oversight, PYMNTS reported at the time.

On Western Union Digital Bank’s account closure date, users will no longer have access to the Western Union Digital Bank app, the debit card linked to their accounts will be deactivated, and users will receive a confirmation notice when the account is closed, according to the legal notice.

The notice advised users to withdraw or transfer any remaining money from their account; provide alternative banking details to anyone that uses their Western Union Digital Banking IBAN; download and save any records they’d like to keep; and cancel their Premium subscription, if they have one.

Customers will still be able to use Western Union money transfer services through the Western Union website or app, as those services are separate from Western Union Digital Bank, per the legal notice.

“Any funds remaining in your account after closure will be handled in accordance with applicable laws, regulations and the General Terms and Conditions governing your account,” the legal notice said.