Western Union at a glance
Western Union is a Denver-based money transfer company listed on the NYSE as WU. It reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $4.05 billion, down 3.8% from 2024, and net income of $499.6 million. It had about 9,600 employees at the end of 2025. Devin McGranahan has been President and CEO since the end of 2021.
From telegraph to remittances
The company was organized in Rochester, New York, in 1851 and took the Western Union name in 1856. It completed the first transcontinental telegraph line in 1861 and began offering money transfers in 1871. First Data spun it off as an independent company in 2006, the same year it ended its telegram service.
How it makes money
Western Union earns transfer fees and foreign exchange margins in its Consumer Money Transfer segment. That segment includes cash transfers through agent locations and branded digital transfers through its website and app. Branded digital made up 32% of the segment's revenue and 43% of its transactions in Q2 2026. The Consumer Services segment covers bill payment and travel money.
2026 results and the Intermex deal
Q1 2026 revenue was $983 million, flat on a GAAP basis. Q2 revenue was about $1.0 billion, down 1%, and GAAP EPS fell to $0.24 from $0.37. Management cited weaker Americas retail and the delayed Intermex close, and said it would speed up cost cuts. Western Union agreed in August 2025 to buy Intermex for about $500 million in cash. In August 2026, New York approved the deal, but California's DFPI suspended its approval extension, so the deal remained pending at the last official update.
