HomeReviewsHow to withdraw money from Western Union to M-pesa     

How to withdraw money from Western Union to M-pesa     

M-pesa, a mobile money transfer service that is phone based. The name, M-pesa, means “mobile money”. That is “M” for mobile and “pesa” meaning money in Swahili.            

M-pesa was launched in 2007 and is run by two companies, Safricom by Kenya and Vodafone by South Africa.                              

M-pesa has soon expanded to other African countries such as Tanzania, Mozambique, Lesotho, Ghana, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ethiopia as well as outside the continent to Afghanistan.       

M-pesa also expanded to India, Romania and Albania but due to the low market levels, operation had to be terminated.       

Anyone in these countries that are making use of the service providers, Safaricom and Vodafone, can easily make use of M-pesa from the service providers’ mobile applications.               

M-pesa services include money transfer, bill payments, micro finance services, deposit, withdrawal, credit and savings, payment of goods and services and more.                  

The M-pesa service enables customers to deposit money into and send money out of accounts that are stored on their mobile phones using PIN-secured SMS. There is a small fee charged for money transactions, sending and withdrawals, made by customers. 

M-pesa users can make use of services through a network of agents acting as bank agents as M-pesa is branchless. 

The M-pesa service has provided access to the formal financial system for millions of people. Financial crime has also been reduced in cash-based societies. 

The M-pesa service enables customers to deposit money into and send money out of accounts that are stored on their mobile phones using PIN-secured SMS. There is a small fee charged for money transactions, sending and withdrawals, made by customers. 

M-pesa users can make use of services through a network of agents acting as bank agents as M-pesa is branchless. 

The M-pesa service has provided access to the formal financial system for millions of people. Financial crime has also been reduced in cash-based societies. 

Western Union        

Western Union is an American multinational company that offers financial services.        

The company started off initially as a telegraph and communications company in 1851 and fully began its financial services in 2006.             

The services offered by Western Union include wire transfer, bill payments, mobile transfer, transfer tracking and so on.                       

Through the Western Union platform, money can be sent and received almost anywhere in the world from one currency to another.         

Western Union has a large network in over 500,000 locations in over 200 territories.    

Transactions made on the Western Union platform usually take one to five business days, especially for transactions between countries.  

Western Union has collaborated with other financial service platforms as well as banks to make financial transactions easier for lots of people in the world as they have are the second largest financial platform in the world.  in over 500,000 locations in over 200 territories.    

Transactions made on the Western Union platform usually take one to five business days, especially for transactions between countries.  

Western Union has collaborated with other financial service platforms as well as banks to make financial transactions easier for lots of people in the world as they have are the second largest financial platform in the world. 

Western Union in Partnership with M-pesa 

In 2018, Western Union formed a partnership with M-pesa thereby enabling M-pesa users to send money from their wallet to any of the Western Union agent networks or simply through the Western Union platform which has access to billions of accounts.            

Money can also be received or withdrawn via the Western Union platform to that of M-pesa.    

With over 28 million M-pesa customers, Western Union powered Safaricom to scale transfers to over 500,000 locations in over 200 countries. 

It is believed that the partnership between Western Union and M-pesa would bring about lots of possibilities in the financial world as well as increase global connectivity and economic opportunity for both developing and developed economies.               

Through the M-pesa Global platform customers can’t connect globally just with the touch of a button. This can be done wherever and whenever they want to.        

Either for loved ones, family, or work, money can easily be sent and received.        

How To Withdraw Money From Western Union 

To withdraw or receive money from Western Union, first of all, you need to visit an agent location near you with an ID issued by the government as well as the tracking number from the sender. The following steps are required: 

  • Visit agent location.     
  • Provide the name of the sender, amount of money to be received and the tracking number.       
  • Present your government issued ID. 
  • After verification, the money will be received.      

       

How To Receive Money Via Western Union To M-pesa 

The process of receiving money via Western Union to M-pesa can be done through a USSD procedure or on the Safaricom mobile application. The USSD procedure requires the customer to opt in first and this is done by:  

  • Dialling *840#.     
  • Selecting “Opt in”.      
  • Reading the Terms and Conditions. 
  • Selecting either “Accept or Decline”. 
  • Inputting M-pesa PIN.       
  • Then, waiting for a confirmation SMS. 

Thereafter, the customer is required to: 

  • Dial *840#.       
  • Select the Western Union location. 
  • Select “New Recipient”.     
  • Enter the first name of the recipient. 
  • Enter the last name of the recipient. 
  • Enter the middle name of the recipient.  
  • Enter the amount to be sent.  
  • Select a destination.        
  • Enter the ISO of the country.  
  • Enter the purpose of funds. 
  • Enter the source of funds. 
  • Confirm the transaction details as well as charges.          
  • Enter M-pesa PIN.         

The procedure for MySafaricom App is:

  • Launch the app with internet connection.  
  • Select “M-pesa”.      
  • Select “M-pesa Global”.      
  • Select “Opt in”.       
  • Read the Terms and Conditions then Accept.        
  • Enter M-pesa PIN.           

A confirmation SMS will then be sent. 

Jakub Borowiec
Jakub Borowiec
Financial markets enthusiast. I studied management at the University of Economics in Wroclaw.
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