Western Union, the wire payments company, announced news on Monday (Jan. 29) of the launch of its Western Union Technology Engineering Centre (WUTEC), a new technology center that is located in India.
In a press release, Western Union said the new center will focus on developing and building technology aimed at improving digital retail customer experiences around the globe. The technology center, at 125,000 square feet, will be located in Pune, Maharashtra. The research center will serve as Western Union’s innovation and engineering hub in the area and will employ 1,000 skilled workers.
“Innovation is hardwired in our DNA. As the company that invented the concept of digitizing money, Western Union is uniquely positioned at the intersection of money and technology. WUTEC India will join our other key technology centers across the world to expand the reach of our omnichannel platform, integrating our digital efforts with our iconic physical agent network to serve a vast global customer base,” said Hikmet Ersek, president and CEO of Western Union, in prepared remarks.
According to Western Union, the investment in India is part of its larger FinTech and innovative efforts behind the company’s digital transformation. The company pointed to Westernunion.com and its mobile app as ways it is embracing digital technology in North America, Europe and, increasingly, in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region.
Additionally, the company said remittances are important to India’s economy, as the nation continues to serve as the largest remittance-receiving country in the world.
“On the anniversary of 25 years of our service in India, this is a fitting start to a new chapter. We are extremely proud to have connected Indian diaspora from nearly every country in the world by enabling money movement to their families and loved ones,” said Ersek. “Over this timeframe, Western Union has formalized money movement into urban, semi-urban and rural India, giving millions of consumers the assurance of receiving cash or money deposited directly into millions of bank accounts. This new tech center is the continuation of our transformation journey.”