Officials of Western Union cited the savviness of Filipino mobile phone users for technical innovations as among the drivers for the projected strong utilization of their mobile application.

“We see really strong traction after only two weeks and a half after soft-launching the app. So this is just very promising for us,” Gregory Laurent, Western Union vice president for the Philippines, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands, told journalists on the sidelines of the app’s official launch in Makati City Wednesday.

He said the app is another level of how the financial firm wants to cater to its Filipino clients, due to several factors, such as the number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Citing data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), officials of the financial firm said total remittance inflows in 2024 reached an all-time high of $38 billion, sustaining the country’s ranking as the fourth in the world in terms of remittance levels.

“For many in the country, remittances represent a life with more opportunity and hope,” Laurent said.

He added that the Philippines is the first among Western Union markets where the app was developed to allow the clients to receive and send money.

The app was developed particularly for Filipinos, said Ricardo Alair, Western Union director for the Philippines, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau.

Alair said it took them some time to develop and launch the app to make sure that a “strong system is in place” and to develop a program to educate their clients against fraud.

He said the cap on single limit transaction is P820,000, but clarified that this “really depends on the bank” where the money will be sourced. 

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