Overview
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani asked the state Department of Financial Services to stop Western Union from buying Intermex, warning the merger would lead to higher fees for immigrant New Yorkers who send money home.
- Western Union said the tie-up would keep in-person money transfers accessible and affordable, and the company said it is working with the regulator and expects to satisfy all requirements.
- Western Union’s purchase of Intermex was announced in August 2025 and needs state approvals to transfer Intermex’s money-transmitter licenses that allow storefronts to operate.
- Intermex has far fewer users than Western Union yet holds large shares of U.S. remittance routes to Ecuador and Nicaragua, which could mean fewer choices and higher costs for senders who rely on cash locations.
- The clash has become a political test of aggressive antitrust views, with FTC chair Lina Khan advising the mayor and critics quoted by the New York Post calling his stance anti-business.