Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) has signed a multi-year contract with First Data subsidiary Western Union Financial Services for the provision of money transfer services in up to 1000 locations across the region by the end of 2002.
BRI's customer base includes a large population of migrant contract workers residing in the country's rural regions. Indonesian expatriates in Europe, the Middle East and Asia will also be able to wire funds back home.
William Thomas, president, Western Union International, notes: "With some of the largest migrant populations in the world and increasing demand for quick, reliable money transfer services, Asia offers Western Union some of its greatest growth potential."