Remittances Can Now be Sent to Cuba from all Western Union Offices in the United States

14ymedio, Havana, 2 March 2023 — The U.S. company Western Union announced on Thursday that it is now possible to send remittances to Cuba from any of its U.S. offices. The company, which had carried out a pilot test of transfers to the Island only from Florida, will use the payment channels of the Cuban … Continue reading “Remittances Can Now be Sent to Cuba from all Western Union Offices in the United States”

Western Union Expands its Offices to Send Remittances from Florida to Cuba to More Than 340 Sites

14ymedio, Havana, 27 January 2023 — The financial company Western Union decided to expand its service for sending remittances to Cuba to 343 offices in Florida through the pilot program that it has been implementing since the beginning of this month and which had started in a few branches. Among the establishments that were incorporated into sending … Continue reading “Western Union Expands its Offices to Send Remittances from Florida to Cuba to More Than 340 Sites”

Adios Western Union, Come Back Soon Western Union

14ymedio, Juan Diego Rodríguez, Havana, 24 November 2020 — Four, three, two … A countdown marks the closing time of the Western Union office in Cuba this Monday. When the clock strikes six in the evening, a long era of remittances through the US company will be over, an end resulting from the sanctions imposed … Continue reading “Adios Western Union, Come Back Soon Western Union”

Western Union’s Offices in Cuba to Close at 6 PM, November 23

14ymedio, Havana, 13 November 2020 — On Friday, Western Union announced it will no longer provide remittance services in Cuba as of November 23 after the island’s government rejected a proposal that would have allowed the US-based to comply with American regulations governing its transactions with Fincimex*. The deadline for sending money from the United … Continue reading “Western Union’s Offices in Cuba to Close at 6 PM, November 23”

‘Accelerate Shipments to Your Relatives in Cuba’ Advises Western Union

14ymedio, Havana, 9 November 2020 — “We invite our clients to speed up shipments to their relatives in Cuba,” advised Khalid Fellahi, general manager of Western Union Digital, assuring that the more than 400 offices the company has on the island are currently operating. “It is important that your loved ones collect the funds sent … Continue reading “‘Accelerate Shipments to Your Relatives in Cuba’ Advises Western Union”

Western Union Employee Says Fincimex Lies: "They Have Not Ordered Us to Close"

14ymedio, Havana, 27 October 2020 —  Fincimex, one of the companies in Cuba’s military conglomerate GAESA, reported in an ambiguous statement that they will close the 407 Western Union offices in Cuba, after the new provisions announced by the United States last Friday which prohibit the sending of remittances through companies linked to the military. In a call from this … Continue reading “Western Union Employee Says Fincimex Lies: "They Have Not Ordered Us to Close"”

Small Cuban Businesses Will Try to Replace Western Union’s Services

14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, 26 October 2020 — The lines at several of the Western Union branches in Havana were longer than usual this Monday, three days after the US Government announced that it will prohibit the sending of remittances to Cuba through companies controlled by military. The conversations among those who waited ranged from uncertainty … Continue reading “Small Cuban Businesses Will Try to Replace Western Union’s Services”

Western Union Improves the Exchange Rate for the Dollar in Cuba

14ymedio, Havana, 5 October 2020 — Western Union, a US company, dropped the exchange rate between the dollar and the Cuban convertible peso (CUC) by 2%, according to El Nuevo Herald. “We have made a correction in the exchange rate for money transfers from the United States to Cuba and from now on for each … Continue reading “Western Union Improves the Exchange Rate for the Dollar in Cuba”

Many Cubans Fear Western Union is "On The Brink…"

14ymedio, Havana, 6 June 2020 — On Thursday afternoon, two of the Western Union offices in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución municipality had closed earlier than usual because they no longer had cash. At dawn on Friday, the lines in front of the premises were longer than normal and were marked by uncertainty. After the … Continue reading “Many Cubans Fear Western Union is "On The Brink…"”

"Saint Western Union" Builds Houses in Cuba

14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 5 February 2020 —  You hear the sound of hammers and a wheelbarrow that comes loaded with mortar to finish building the bathroom. At the home of Olivia, age 28, there is an incessant movement of builders but the sound of the works can stop at any time. “I am waiting for … Continue reading “"Saint Western Union" Builds Houses in Cuba”

Large Remittances Deplete the Cash at Western Union

14ymedio, Marcelo Hernández, Havana, 31 January 2018 — Carmen Moya puts on her most comfortable shoes, those that her son sent from New Jersey with a warning “only for special occasions.” Now she uses them to go from one  Western Union to another in search of the money the young man sends her, but the lack of … Continue reading “Large Remittances Deplete the Cash at Western Union”

‘We Don’t Even Have Bread for Communion’ Says a Priest in Cuba

14ymedio, Natalia Lopez Moya, Havana, 3 November 2022 — The monastery of the Discalced Carmelite nuns of Saint Teresa in Havana produces most of the communion wafers, or “hosts,” consumed by the island’s Catholics. On Wednesday the nuns announced in an online statement that they would not be able to manufacture or sell any more … Continue reading “‘We Don’t Even Have Bread for Communion’ Says a Priest in Cuba”

Sunday: Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo at Northwestern University for a Free Cuba, Damn It!

Tempting the Cuban Transition Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo FOLLOW THIS EVENT ONLINE HERE and HERE Since December 17th, when President Obama and General Raul Castro performed their simultaneous speeches, many Americans insist on congratulating me. I wonder why no Cuban has congratulated me so far, and why I still haven’t congratulated any other Cuban, whether in favor … Continue reading “Sunday: Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo at Northwestern University for a Free Cuba, Damn It!”

What the Soviet Union Left Cubans / Ivan Garcia

To this day, in the universal history books in junior high or high schools in Cuba, the Soviet theme is handled with kid gloves. They recall its founding father Vladimir Illych Lenin, the epic of the Second World War with its 20 million dead (old data, it was 27 million and more than a few … Continue reading “What the Soviet Union Left Cubans / Ivan Garcia”

Western Pumpkins / Rosa Maria Rodriguez

Graphic from: http://www.cubaenmiami.com/ I am not going to tackle an everyday plot related to the cinemagraphic or literary genre that became one of the cardinal points of the United States, but that historic company that offers financial and commercial services, Western Union. Until sometime more than three months ago, if some friend or relative abroad … Continue reading “Western Pumpkins / Rosa Maria Rodriguez”