Western Union Releases Inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance Report

Western Union (NYSE: WU), a global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement, today released its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, which details the Company’s achievements for fiscal year 2018 toward its commitment to moving money with integrity and connecting people to the global economy. Creating value for its customers, employees, agents, shareholders and the broader communities in which it operates are top priorities for the Company as it seeks to help build a better global future.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190618005345/en/

Connecting people to the global economy (Photo: Business Wire)

“Western Union’s purpose is to build bridges that connect individuals, nations and economies, and in doing so, create new opportunities for stakeholders across the world. We believe we can be more successful when we operate according to the highest ethical standards, address unmet social needs and promote the well-being of our people, their communities and the environment,” said Hikmet Ersek, President and CEO, Western Union. “This comprehensive account of what we are doing, as a global leader in connecting people and businesses through money movement, makes me proud of the hard work our employees do every day to further this mission.”

The report highlights several areas where the Company is making a global impact:

Connecting people to the global economy: The combination of our retail and digital businesses enables Western Union to be the bridge between offline and online money movement, creating a truly inclusive platform that leaves no one behind. In addition, we stand in support of migrants, refugees and other displaced people, who are important parts of our customer base, our workforce and our communities.

• 25%+ of our customers have sent money for education, based on customer surveys
• 1,800+ NGOs have used Western Union’s NGO GlobalPay to send nearly $6.5 billion, since 2012

Moving money with integrity: We work closely with authorities to help thwart and prosecute fraud, human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, illegal wildlife trade and other criminal activity.

• Participated in more than 1,400 investigations to combat human trafficking since 2013, resulting in hundreds of arrests and the rescue of hundreds of victims
• Invested almost $1 billion into compliance efforts over the past five years

Supporting education and humanitarian relief: In 2018, the Western Union Foundation — sustained by Western Union, its employees, agents and its business partners — helped underserved populations connect to the global economy through the power of education and humanitarian relief efforts. The Western Union Foundation has given nearly $120 million to fund projects to advance education and support humanitarian relief in 137 countries since 2001.