MMBL opens 3,000th outlet to offer Western Union branded money transfer remittances

Monday, 4 December 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cutting of the ribbon by Western Union Middle East and Asia Pacific President Jean Claude Farah, and MMBL Money Transfer Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake

From left: Western Union Asia Pacific Head Sohini Rajola, Western Union Middle East and Asia Pacific President Jean Claude Farah, and MMBL Money Transfer Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake

Lighting of the oil lamp by MMBL Money Transfer Chairman Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake and Western Union Middle East and Asia Pacific President Jean Claude Farah

MMBL Money Transfer Services (Joint venture between Aitken Spence and Mercantile Merchant Bank), the largest representative of industry giant Western Union in Sri Lanka, held an inauguration ceremony recently to celebrate the milestone of reaching its 3,000-payout outlet, located in Colombo 6.

Western Union Middle East and Asia Pacific President, Jean Claude Farah, Western Union Asia Pacific Head, Sohini Rajola, Western Union India and South Asia, Country Director, Gaurav Yadava, and Western Union South Asia, Senior Country Manager, S. S. Ramanathan, graced the momentous occasion.

MMBL Money Transfer Ltd. Chairman, Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Managing Director, Chaminda Hindurangala, Director, K Balasundaram and General Manager, Asitha Abeyagoonesekera were also present to mark the ceremonial event.

MMBL reached this milestone from 2,100 sub-representatives in the last financial year to expand its network to 3,000, that is a remarkable achievement. The company is the only non-banking institution approved for outward remittances with Western Union by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL).

“Today is a significant occasion for MMBL Money Transfer Ltd as they open their 3000th outlet and I am delighted to have the opportunity to join in the celebration,” said Jean Claude Farah.

“Western Union has a long and proud history of serving the residents of Sri Lanka. We pride ourselves on our global network across more than 200 countries and territories. However, it is in moments like this, thanks to our close collaboration with MMBL Money Transfer Ltd., scaling for the consumer locally, truly comes to life. It means we can offer the aspiring people of Sri Lanka even greater financial inclusivity,” he added.

“This is an important milestone we celebrate together with Western Union that has been our renowned global partner for more than 15 years. We are grateful and humbled to be their largest representative in Sri Lanka and work towards further strengthening our partnership to facilitate one of the most vital sources of income and foreign exchange generator to Sri Lanka,” said Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake

“By expanding our network with Western Union, MMBL’s reputation is reinforced as a fast, reliable and customer-friendly service provider with convenient access throughout the country. This has been one of our critical competitive advantages. We will continue to expand our network with Western Union as we are well positioned to capitalise on opportunities for growth,” said Chaminda Hindurangala.

Worker remittances have consistently remained a vital source of income and foreign exchange generator to Sri Lanka. Empowering migrant workers with easy access to their finances while offering an extended network of MMBL service touch points, the company is the largest retail inward remittance representative in the country.