Western Union Co

Western Union is widening its U.S. retail presence through an expanded partnership with Total Wireless, bringing money transfers, bill payments and money order services to Total Wireless stores across the country. The rollout begins in select locations and is expected to expand to additional locations by the end of 2026, giving Western Union access to a wider customer base while increasing the visibility of its financial services in everyday retail settings. Eligible customers on select Total Wireless plans will continue to receive one Western Union transfer-fee waiver each month. The partnership aligns with Western Union's strategy of combining digital capabilities with physical distribution, as its second-quarter 2026 results showed Branded Digital revenues increased 7% year over year on a GAAP basis while transactions jumped 25%. Western Union shares have fallen 13.1% over the past year, and the company trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 4.97X compared with the industry average of 18.79X, carrying a Zacks Rank of 5, or Strong Sell.

International Money Express soared 35% in after-hours trading after the New York Department of Financial Services approved its $500 million sale to Western Union. The regulator, in partnership with the New York State Attorney General’s Office, secured commitments from Western Union to maintain services for communities throughout New York after acquiring International Money Express. The NYDFS was the last regulator needed to win approval for the sale, which Western Union agreed to last August at $16 per share in cash. Western Union CFO Matt Cagwin said the company is modeling a September 1 close for the deal.

Crypto news highlights for August 6, 2026, covering key developments across multiple sectors. BlackRock has filed for a spot Bitcoin ETF, while JPMorgan has launched a stablecoin payment service for institutional clients. RedotPay raised 100 million US dollars in a Series B round to expand its crypto card services in Southeast Asia, and TeraWulf announced plans to expand its Bitcoin mining capacity to 500 megawatts by 2027. Meanwhile, CoolWallet has launched a new hardware wallet that supports offline transactions, and Western Union has partnered with Binance to offer cross-border money transfers via crypto.

Global money transfer giant Western Union has partnered with stablecoin payment infrastructure provider Rain to launch Stablecard by Western Union. The product combines a digital wallet holding the US dollar-linked stablecoin USDPT with a Visa-branded secured card backed by USDPT, allowing users to receive transfers directly in USDPT and spend at Visa merchants and ATMs. It is launching in 37 markets, with plans to expand to over 60 markets by year-end. USDPT is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank on Solana, redeemable one-to-one with US dollars, and was launched by Western Union in May as part of its digital asset strategy. President and CEO Devin McGranahan said it combines the stability of a dollar-backed crypto asset with the company's global network and Visa's acceptance infrastructure.

Visa has moved stablecoin integration into production-grade infrastructure, deploying stablecoin capabilities across its Visa Direct real-time push payments platform to reach more than 18 billion endpoints across eligible cards, accounts, and digital wallets in 195 countries and territories. The live, scalable deployment is designed for institutional-grade cross-border treasury funding and payouts, with Zero Hash providing the compliance layer for stablecoin settlement across dozens of blockchains and stablecoins, primarily using USDC. The integration builds on the Visa Stablecoin Platform launched in July, and comes as the World Bank reports the average cost of sending a $200 remittance at 6.35%, while stablecoin rails drop that cost below 1%. The move follows a week of infrastructure consolidation, including Western Union's launch of Stablecard on Solana and Mastercard's acquisition of BVNK for up to $1.8 billion, all under the new GENIUS Act regulatory framework. Circle reported $14.8 trillion in onchain volume in Q2 2026, up 151% year-over-year, with USDC circulation at $73.3 billion.

Western Union shares surged 10% after a report that the company has begun a strategic review following an approach from a private equity firm at a price just below $10 a share. The company is now inviting offers from other possible bidders, according to traders citing a Betaville uncooked alert. The speculation comes as Western Union is in the late stages of its planned $500 million takeover of International Money Express, whose shares edged 0.5% lower on Tuesday.

Several companies announced dividend declarations. Kimberly-Clark declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.28 per share, payable on October 2, 2026 to stockholders of record on September 4, 2026. Westlake Chemical Partners declared a distribution of $0.4714 per unit, its 48th quarterly distribution since its initial public offering, payable on August 28, 2026 to unit holders of record on August 13, 2026. Eagle Materials declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share, payable on October 13, 2026 to stockholders of record on September 14, 2026. Robert Half declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.59 per share, payable on September 15, 2026 to shareholders of record on August 25, 2026. Western Union declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.235 per common share, payable on September 30, 2026 to stockholders of record on September 16, 2026. Northern Oil and Gas declared a cash dividend of $0.45 per share, equal to the prior quarterly dividend, payable on October 30, 2026 to stockholders of record on September 29, 2026.

Western Union declared a quarterly dividend of $0.235 per share, in line with the previous payout. The dividend is payable on September 30 to shareholders of record as of September 16, with the ex-dividend date also set for September 16. The forward yield stands at 14.35%.

Financial stocks ended the week higher even as Wall Street's major averages declined amid a technology-led selloff. The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF rose 0.99% to $56.26, with the S&P 500 Financials sector extending its rally to six consecutive sessions in extreme overbought territory. Among megacap gainers, Mastercard advanced 3.20% to $543.60 and Visa added 2.75% to $358.56 after Visa introduced a new enterprise platform for stablecoin capabilities. Bank of America gained 2.68% to $61.27 following better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, while Citigroup fell 8.12% to $129.36 despite topping estimates after comments on additional investments and severance expenses. PayPal surged 22.11% to $56.56 on reports of a $53 billion joint takeover bid from Stripe and Advent International, and Travelers Companies rose 8.87% to $368.98 after its second-quarter earnings blew past consensus. Crypto-related stocks were largely lower, with IREN down 18.28%, Robinhood Markets off 10.73%, and Hut 8 declining 10.54%, while Virtu Financial retreated 15.33% after announcing preliminary results and seeking $400 million in additional term loans. Western Union gained 13.27% to $8.88 amid a surge in call options trading, and Columbia Financial added 10.21% as regional banks rallied on prospects of a lending rebound.

TenPay Global, Tencent's cross-border payment platform, held an event in Singapore with partners DBS Bank, Panda Remit, and Western Union to strengthen collaboration and improve the cross-border remittance user experience. The gathering on July 12 included a private screening of the film "Dear You," which traces the evolution of remittance from traditional Qiaopi to digital transfers via Weixin. TenPay Global's platform now partners with more than 60 major international banks and remittance institutions, supporting remittances to China from over 150 countries and regions. Funds sent home can now arrive in as little as one minute directly to Weixin, an experience Royal Chen, Vice President of Tencent Financial Technology, likened to sending a message. The event also featured an interactive corner where guests could generate a personalized AI-powered digital Qiaopi.

Western Union has amended its Delayed Draw Term Loan Credit Agreement, extending the commitment period for accessing the debt facility to November 10, 2026. The move enhances the company's financing flexibility amid a challenging period for its stock, which has fallen 13.54% year to date and dropped 15.9% after weaker first-quarter results. Despite recent share price gains of 4.59% over seven days and 6.68% over 30 days following the loan amendment news, longer-term performance remains soft with a 48.44% total shareholder return decline over five years. The most followed analyst narrative pegs Western Union's fair value at $9.08 per share, suggesting the stock is 12.1% undervalued from its last close of $7.98, supported by expectations of digital transformation and improved margins, though risks from lower transaction volumes and fintech competition persist.

Western Union has partnered with Total Wireless to introduce a first-of-its-kind benefit in the U.S. telecom industry, allowing customers on Total Wireless' MAX 5G BYO, MAX 5G and ALL ACCESS plans to make one fee-free money transfer every month through Western Union. The service enables transfers to more than 200 countries and territories, with recipients able to receive funds through over 360,000 payout locations or via bank accounts, digital wallets and cards. The partnership also includes Western Union promoting Total Wireless through its app, email campaigns, social channels and in-store digital displays. This collaboration embeds Western Union's services into a recurring consumer subscription, aiming to encourage more consistent usage and strengthen customer loyalty.

Western Union and International Money Express, or Intermex, announced that money transmission regulators in 51 U.S. states and territories and all international jurisdictions have approved or not objected to Western Union's pending acquisition of Intermex, with approval still pending from one U.S. state. The companies remain actively engaged with regulators, including the New York State Department of Financial Services, to secure the final regulatory approval. Western Union shares last closed at $7.24, up 2.99%.

The Iran war is putting an estimated $124 billion in annual remittances from Gulf Cooperation Council countries at risk, testing an economic model reliant on foreign workers. Migrant workers in the six GCC nations sent that sum home in 2024, supporting families from Asia, Africa, and the broader Middle East. While almost all Iranian attacks were intercepted, the conflict disrupted travel and tourism, choked exports through the Strait of Hormuz, raised import costs, and strained supply chains, leading to job insecurity across sectors from hospitality to construction. Western Union reported an acceleration in outbound remittances from the Middle East during the early phase of the conflict, and India saw money sent home by overseas workers rise more than 28% in the three months through March. However, the Philippines recorded its slowest remittance growth in almost four years in April, and Kenya saw private transfers from Gulf states fall 18% in April after an initial surge, while cross-border payments platform Onafriq noted that average transaction values have fallen about 12% and an estimated 40% of senders are drawing from emergency reserves.