Western Union Settlement: A Cautionary Tale for Bitcoin Money Transmitters
Money transfer exchange, Western Union, recently announced a $184 million settlement with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for violating the Bank Secrecy Act’s anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. Specifically, FinCEN determined that Western Union failed to (1) implement and maintain effective AML compliance oversight of certain....
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In what could probably be called the surprise of the century, financial services company Western Union says Bitcoin just isn't quite ready for international money transfers - Western Union's big business. A huge surprise, indeed. It all went down at a Western Union conference that took place recently. "We're a long, long way from sending momma in Mexico $240 each month or a Somali family in a refugee camp $200 each month in bitcoin that is held in a wallet for conversion to local fiat currency and spending as needed," said MSB Compliance president Jay Postma. "The infrastructure and market....
In the world of cash-transfers, few other companies come to mind as instantaneously as Western Union. If you’ve walked in a convenience store anywhere between the west and east coast of the United States, you’ve probably seen a banner for Western Union. The remittance provider is currently facing a preliminary antitrust inquiry as the EU examines allegations of Western Union intentionally driving rivals out of business. Allegedly, Western Union is giving their retail outlet partners contracts with exclusivity contracts in them which don’t allow other cash-transfer services to operate....
Global money transfer powerhouse Western Union is boldly venturing into the dynamic and rapidly evolving realm of cryptocurrencies, marking a significant and strategic move in its financial landscape. With a storied history of facilitating seamless cross-border transactions, Western Union’s decision to enter the highly-stacked cryptocurrency arena underscores its commitment to innovation and adaptability in an […]
Although it is not uncommon to charge high fees when sending money to foreign countries, this 10% fee applies to domestic transfers. If anyone ever needed more indication of how expensive Western Union is, look no further. Various Walmart stores across the US have a WU office, where people can send money to other citizens in the US with ease. Unfortunately, this service is rather expensive, as sending up to US$50 is subject to a near 10% fee. Not the solution most people would be looking for, and another reason to get involved in Bitcoin. Most people are well aware of how sending money....
Global remittance giant Western Union is reportedly working on a pilot program with distributed payment protocol provider Ripple Labs. The news was first revealed in a tweet by Ripple Labs promoting CEO Chris Larsen's appearance at Global Conference 2015, an annual event held by non-profit think tank the Milken Institute. The pilot was further confirmed by Monica Long, VP of marketing and communications at Ripple Labs, who told CoinDesk that while Western Union is "exploring a pilot project using Ripple", no further details on the initiative were available. Long did, however, suggest that....