ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & ISTANBUL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a worldwide leader in money transfer services, announced today the launch of a service that allows online banking customers in Turkey to receive money transfers directly into their bank accounts. The service is offered through a new Agent, Garanti Bank, Turkey’s second largest private bank. Online banking customers can also send money from the website at any time to more than 334,000 Western Union^® Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories.

The model may be applied further in Turkey and in other markets around the world.

“Western Union continues to drive industry innovation to meet a growing demand for convenient, reliable online services,” said Hikmet Ersek, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific. “This is the first time a Western Union customer in Turkey will be able to choose between the traditional method of receiving cash at an Agent location and having funds sent directly into his bank account, without having to go to a physical location or talking to a call center.”

Ali Fuat Erbil, Executive Vice President of Garanti Bank, said: “Garanti Bank is known for its dynamic business approach and commitment to technological innovation. We have achieved many firsts in Turkey and are delighted to be part of using the Internet to bring a new level of convenience and efficiency to our customers.”

The service is aimed at busy people who do not have time to visit an Agent location and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers can send and receive funds using their online Garanti Bank accounts by following a few simple steps. The Western Union Money Transfer^® service is available at more than 4,000 Agent locations in Turkey through Ziraat Bank, Turkish Post, Finansbank, ING Bank, Denizbank, Fortis, Türkiye Finans and TBank.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global money transfer services. Together with its Orlandi Valuta and Vigo branded money transfer services, Western Union provides consumers with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. It operates through a network of more than 379,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories. Famous for its pioneering telegraph services, the original Western Union dates back to 1851. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

About Garanti Bank

Established in 1946, Garanti Bank is Turkey's second largest private bank with assets reaching in excess of $63 billion as a result of its customer centric approach and innovative culture. As a universal bank with leading presence in all business lines, Garanti serves to over 8 million customers in corporate, commercial, SME, and consumer segments offering fully integrated financial services through its 9 financial subsidiaries that include payment systems, pension, leasing, factoring, brokerage and asset management. Committed to its customers, Garanti with over 16,000 employees operates an expanding distribution network comprising more than 730 branches including five foreign branches and four international representative offices, more than 2,600 ATMs, an award-winning call center and an Internet and mobile bank utilizing its state-of-the-art technology. Garanti supports its extensive branch network with centralized operations, exceptional data warehousing and management reporting systems, and the efficient use of alternative delivery channels. Garanti’s wide product variety combined with custom-tailored solutions is a key competitive advantage in its success as Turkey's largest lender providing more than $44 billion in cash and non-cash loans. For more information, please visit www.garantibank.com.

WU-G