ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment services, today announced that Française des Jeux (FDJ), the fourth largest national lottery in the world, will offer Western Union^® money transfers across the globe through a digital service using the Western Union mobile app and over 31,000 FDJ terminals across France.

FDJ’s customers can initiate their money transfer via the Western Union mobile app before proceeding to their preferred FDJ location to validate and pay. Western Union customers also have the option to complete the transaction digitally by using their bank account or credit card via the App.

This collaboration will allow FDJ’s 26 million customers to send money to more than 200 countries and territories with the choice to pay out receivers in cash or pay into bank accounts in more than 50 countries.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with FDJ, a nationally recognized brand. Together, we are developing innovative ways for our customers to fulfill their money transfer needs and this is another example of our omni-channel approach gaining traction,” said Odilon Almeida, President of Global Money Transfer, Western Union.

“We are bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds and strive to give customers the possibility to send and receive money at anytime, anywhere and in any way, they want,” said Almeida.

Digital-initiated money transfers remain a high growth area for Western Union and are expected to be a major driver of overall market growth in the coming years. In Q3 2017, more than 65 percent of wu.com transactions were initiated on a mobile device.

“Retail is a significant point of entry for FDJ with more than 95 percent of turnover coming through this channel. Providing our retailers and customers with access to Western Union – a globally known brand – to send and receive money internationally is a first, and it is a momentous step for us and our network,” said Stéphane Pallez, President and CEO of the FDJ.

“Diversifying new use needs through our retail network is about simplifying the daily life of our retailers and customers. It also fulfills our FDJ 2020 strategy, which aims to support the evolution of customer habits thanks to the modernization of the physical network and the launch of new services,” said Pallez.

This new collaboration extends Western Union’s footprint and digital offering in France, where the company already works together with major players such as La Banque Postale and Franprix.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable, and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2017, the Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined network of over 550,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories and over 150,000 ATMs and kiosks, and included the capability to send money to billions of accounts. In 2016, The Western Union Company completed 268 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $80 billion of principal between consumers, and 523 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

About FDJ

La Française des Jeux is the fourth largest lottery worldwide with €14.3 billion euros bets in 2016. La Française des Jeux offers its 26 million customers fun, responsible and safe lottery games and sport betting for the general public. The group and its subsidiaries (FDP, LVS…) relies on over 2,130 staff, a network of 31,000 local points of sale and a multimedia channel that has attracted 1.3 million players. In 2016, La Française des Jeux redistributed 95% of its bets, €9.5 billion to the players, €3.1 billion to the community including over €220 million for sport for all, and close to €718 million for retailers. https://www.groupefdj.com/

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