Western Union has partnered with PlazaVea, Vivanda and Metro Supermarkets to expand its services across Peru in an effort to improve and simplify its customers’ ability to send and receive money, a press release reported.
“Many of our customers depend on Metro, PlazaVea and Vivanda for groceries and other basic needs,” Western Union country director for Peru, Claudia Reyes, said. “By working with these establishments, we are providing our customers with even more convenience, offering the ability to send and receive money at their locations, pay for services and exchange currency. We are extremely excited to continue our work with PlazaVea, Vivanda and Metro, while simultaneously helping our customers manage and simplify their busy lives.”
The platform will soon become available to customers at 10 PlazaVea, Vivanda and Metro supermarkets based in eight points in the Peruvian capital and two other key regional cities. The openings will take place in PlazaVea - Miraflores, Metro Garzón - Jesús María, PlazaVea - San Juan de Lurigancho, PlazaVea Dasso - San Isidro, PlazaVea El Tambo - Huancayo, Metro Ovalo Papal - Trujillo, Vivanda 2 de Mayo - San Isidro, PlazaVea - La Molina, PlazaVea - El Cortijo and Metro - Independencia.
“As we continue to expand across Peru, we look forward to providing our customers additional choice as we enhance our digital and retail capabilities in the months and years to come,” Reyes said.
The financial platform also launched a new E-wallet service in collaboration with BIM.
"For us at BIM, it is essential to promote financial inclusion through different functionalities that allow our users to access their money quickly, easily and securely,” Fernando Barrios, general manager of Pagos Digitales Peruanos, said. “Therefore, the partnership with Western Union is key because, in a country like Peru with high annual remittances, it positions us closer to our users and their needs, being the first wallet to provide this type of service."
The expansion follows findings of recent growth. According to recent World Bank data, remittances grew to a total of $626 billion, reflecting a growth rate of 5% in 2022. In Latin America, it increased by 9.3%.
"We continue to see growth in remittances despite the various political and social contexts in the world,” Reyes said. “This shows how important remittances are to local and regional economies, while providing much needed support to our customers’ loved ones.”