Western Union to invest $200 million for 15% ownership in stc pay

By Edil Corneille

Western Union has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in Saudi Digital Payments Company, or stc pay, a fully owned subsidiary of Saudi Telecom Company. According to the terms of the transaction, Western Union will invest up to $200 million for up to 15 per cent ownership of stc pay. In conjunction with the investment, the companies extended the terms of their commercial relationship.

In the third quarter of 2020, Western Union has apprised that its digital revenues increased 45 per cent year-over-year, representing 21 per cent of Western Union’s consumer business, and trended at an annual rate of over $900 million. The company currently partners with stc pay, providing money transfer services that allow stc pay’s users to send money from its app to over 200 countries and territories in more than 130 currencies through Western Union’s global network of accounts, wallets, cards and retail.

“I am extremely pleased with the progress of Western Union’s digital growth strategy this year. A key element of this strategy is partnering with innovative financial companies to expand services for their customers and drive incremental growth for Western Union. Our strategy has proven to be successful, and I am encouraged by the meaningful contribution our partnership with stc pay made to Western Union’s digital growth in 2020,” said Western Union Chief Executive Officer Hikmet Ersek.

Jean Claude Farah, President, Global Network at Western Union commented: “We are very excited about this investment in stc pay because of our demonstrated success working together. We believe the company is well positioned for continued growth and expansion into new digital payment services in the Gulf region. This is a great opportunity to participate in the growth potential of an innovative and dynamic financial services company such as stc pay and supporting its growing customer base through our market leading cross-border services.”

Nasser Alnasser stc group CEO said, “As a digital enabler and a pioneer in the digital transformation, we aspire to play a vital role in the vision of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) in many initiatives that support creativity and developing the financial services, as FinTech is a pillar of stc strategy.

Alnasser added, “We are proud that stc pay has not only reached unicorn status but also has been recognized as a fintech national champion in a very short time, and that motivates us to devote more efforts to provide more products to enhance the customer’s experience.”

stc pay CEO Ahmed Alenazi said: “We are delighted that such a prestigious and visionary company as Western Union has identified stc pay as a company with such strong prospects. We are grateful for their appreciation of the strength of the brand and the business we are growing. Their focus on customers’ changing needs and the drive for innovation makes them the ideal partner for our next period of growth.”

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to receiving all regulatory approvals.