Western Union Co (NYSE: WU) is a cross-border money movement and payments company that enables consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments to send money and make payments across currencies worldwide. It earns revenue through transaction fees and foreign exchange spread on money transfers processed through its global retail agent network and digital platforms. Western Union operates as both a physical retail network and a digital-first payments business, with a brand positioned around speed, reliability, and convenience in consumer remittances and business payment services. The company is expanding its service portfolio to include digital wallets and broader financial services, available in select countries as of the FY2025 10-K filing dated 2026-02-20. Its core strength is the scale of its global agent network combined with growing direct digital channels, serving cross-border remittance senders as its primary customer base.

Revenue model

Transaction fees charged on each money transfer plus foreign exchange spread earned on cross-currency conversions. Revenue is transactional, not subscription-based. Both retail agent network transactions and digital platform transactions generate fee and FX revenue.

Products and services

Cross-border, cross-currency money transfers; consumer remittances; business payment services; digital wallet (launched in select countries as of the FY2025 filing); digital financial services platform.

Customers and end markets

Consumers sending cross-border remittances; businesses requiring cross-border payments; financial institutions; governments. End markets include global retail money transfer and digital payments.

Value-chain role

Payment network intermediary and money movement operator sitting between senders and recipients across currencies and geographies, operating through both a physical retail agent network and owned digital channels.

Geographic exposure

Global cross-border operations across multiple currencies and countries. The FY2025 10-K (filed 2026-02-20) describes worldwide service availability but does not break out specific country or regional revenue percentages in the excerpts provided.

Source: SEC 10-K, filed 2026-02-20

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