ALMATY, April 15, 2019 — Customers in Kazakhstan can now conveniently send Western Union® International Money Transfers directly from Halyk Bank website, 24/7, thanks to an alliance between Western Union, a leader in cross-border and cross-currency money transfer, and Halyk Bank, one of the leading banks in Kazakhstan.
Western Union Global Cross-Border Platform has been integrated into Halyk Bank’s online banking technology, enabling over two million Halyk Bank customers to send money directly from their online internet banking accounts to more than 525,000 Western Union Agent locations1 in more than 200 countries and territories or to bank accounts in 50 countries in the world.
“Our aim is to provide our customers with the opportunity to send money in the most suitable way. It means we try to serve our customers across all channels – retail and digital – and offer various convenient services for people with different preferences and requirements,” said Andrey Ageev, Western Union Regional Vice President, Russia & CIS.
“Western Union is known for its iconic retail footprint locally and globally; however, many retail customers also have account-based transfer needs. With a rapid increase in mobile and online banking popularity, providing customers with digital money transfers in addition to retail services is key to supporting their needs. We believe this collaboration with Halyk Bank will provide a convenient, always-on channel for international money transfers.”
Western Union has been providing money transfer services in Kazakhstan since 1994 and has been a collaborator of Halyk Bank since 2009. According to the National Bank of Kazakstan data, in January 2019 customers in Kazakhstan sent more than 168, transactions, 37 899,4 mln Tenge (over 97 792 USD) abroad via different international money transfer systems, a 6 percent growth versus January 20182.
The services of sending and receiving Western Union® money transfers are provided across the whole Halyk Bank network with over 600 locations. Halyk Bank was one of the first banks in Kazakhstan offering customers the Western Union services online, allowing to send money without leaving their home or office, via the Homebank internet portal. Special promotions are offered by the bank occasionally, another advantage of the distant service for the majority of customers. The fees for a Western Union® money transfer via Homebank are 0,5% transfer fee3 of a transaction amount for sending above 200 USD, the minimum fee is 1 USD transfer fee3 for sending up to 200 USD for a transaction in US dollars and 380 Tenge transfer fee4 for sending up to 76000 Tenge for a transaction in local currency.
Since the beginning of 2019 many customers used Western Union® money transfers in Homebank. Some popular corridors are Russia, Ukraine, China, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan regions4.
“This is good news for those who need a round-the-clock access to money transfers, such as parents whose children study abroad, entrepreneurs and business tourists, travelers. I would also mention that help to relatives and loved ones is a special element of our national identity. Online services are becoming the solution for Kazakhstan with its huge territory and low density of population. In addition to convenience of online money transfers, we also offer occasional promotionson online transactions”, – said Nurlan Zhagiparov, Halyk Bank Executive Vice-President.
In addition to this digital service launch, customers can access the existing in-store money transfer services at more than1,400 Western Union Agent locations1 across the country.
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CUSTOMER GUIDANCE
Prior to the first use of the Western Union service on Halyk Bank’s internet banking, Halyk Bank customers need to choose “Western Union / To send money transfer” in the “Transactions” section, then to fill out a special form, check the data, read and accept the terms of services and enter an SMS-code received on their phone. Another SMS with a Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) will be sent after transaction to the sender’s phone. MTCN also will be available in the transaction form in “Transactions archive” section.
To learn more about the services, customers can call the Halyk Bank toll free call center: 71 11.
1 Location count valid as of December 31, 2018
2 https://nationalbank.kz/?docid=1191&switch=russian
3 Western Union also makes money from currency exchange. When choosing a money transmitter, carefully compare both transfer fees and exchange rates. Fees, foreign exchange rates and taxes may vary by brand, channel, and location based on a number of factors. Fees and rates subject to change without notice.
4 Additional information on corridors is also available on the National bank’s website.
