mChek gets nod from Western Union Mobile Vendor Program

Microfinance Focus, Feb 18, 2010: mChek, a Mobile Money Solutions company has been certified by Western Union as a Mobile Money Transfer Vendor, said a statement from mChek.

The certification under the Western Union Mobile Vendor Program was received after a technology integration and certification testing program, it said. Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) around the globe can now partner with Western Union to offer Money Transfer Services to customers through a turnkey hosted service, it added.

The goal of Western Union’s Mobile Vendor program is to reduce integration costs and accelerate go-to-market activities for banks and mobile operators by creating standard technical deployments. Once a bank or mobile operator contracts with Western Union to activate the Western Union® Mobile Money Transfer service, its consumers will be able to send and/or receive money through Western Union’s money transfer system. Western Union has a global agent network of more than 350,,000 locations in over 200 countries and territories.

The mChek service for Mobile Banking, Payments and Commerce is currently used in India with Bharti Airtel, Tata Indicom and Tata Docomo, and in Sri Lanka with Dialog Telekom. “Our certified integration with Western Union, a leading global Money Transfer Service provider, and our hosted, out-of-the-box platform ensures minimal time to market and zero risk for MNO’s to introduce Mobile Money Transfer services,” said Valerie Rozycki, Head of Strategic Initiatives for mChek.

Western Union Mobile Vendor certification recognizes software and services that meet Western Union’s technical delivery standards. Vendor certification does not authorize a vendor to act as a gateway connection to Western Union systems or operate as a direct reseller of Western Union services.

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