Bangladesh bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman along with senior officials of Western Union and its principal agents, seen at a function to celebrate Western Union’s 12000 agent locations in Bangladesh at a hotel in Dhaka Tuesday.

Western Union, together with its agents, has become the largest international money remittance network in Bangladesh, by exceeding a record-setting 12,000 agent locations across the country recently.

Four leading banks of the country – Agrani, Islami, NCC and Uttara have recently become Western Union agents, bringing a total of 2,000 additional locations to the network, said a press release.

Consumers in Bangladesh can now receive Western Union Money TransferSM transactions from overseas across all 64 districts and 509 thanas in Bangladesh, from Teknaf to Tetulia. Some Western Union agent locations open beyond traditional nine-to-five business hours and on weekends.

“Through our 12,000 locations operated by 20 principal bank agents in Bangladesh, Western Union is there to serve Bangladeshis receiving money from family and beloved ones working and living overseas, particularly 70 percent of the population who live in rural areas,” said Patricia Riingen, senior vice president, East and South Asia, Western Union.

“Western Union has been bringing the world to Bangladesh for 18 years, connecting it with a global network of 500,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories, providing coverage of countries popular with the six million Bangladeshis abroad.”

“Over the years, we have enabled and participated in the growth of overseas immigration and the change in Bangladesh’s economy by offering convenience, reliability and speedy transfers of monies – majority of which are funds for regular financial support and living expenses.

The Daily Sun/Bangladesh/ 12th July 2012