Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that Western Union offices in Turkmenistan are no longer offering the option of sending money to country residents.Now the WU services can be used only to make money transfers for study-abroad students.
Previously, limited amounts of money could be sent overseas via Western Union at the official foreign exchange rate.There were so many residents wishing to use the WU services that the waiting list is 2 months.
When a person’s turn came, he had to appear in the bank, take a ticket and wait for a few hours in the queue.Residents of Turkmenistan have now been deprived of this opportunity.
Moreover, various sources are also sending unconfirmed reports on the closure of several WU offices.
Commenting on the situation, WU company representatives told “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” that the restrictions were being imposed not by WU but by local partner banks, which are regulated by internal policies and procedures.
As regards the closure of offices, the WU official said that according to their information as of September 2017 “the number of Western Union customer service offices in Turkmenistan has not changed considerably”.
Let us recall that in early November Turkmenistan’s Vnesheconombank (Foreign Trade Bank) again limited the amounts of cash which can be withdrawn overseas.
As of today, during an overseas stay, a maximum of $50 dollars a day can be withdrawn from a person’s own account or cash free payments of no more than $200 a day can be made.