Western Union taps Magnite for media network expansion

Five days ago, the financial services giant Western Union announced a strategic agreement with Magnite, the largest independent sell-side advertising company, marking a significant expansion of its media network capabilities. The partnership, announced on April 16, 2025, positions Western Union to monetize its owned media properties while providing advertisers with enhanced access to its multicultural audience.

The collaboration represents a substantial development in the financial services advertising sector, coming just four months after Western Union established a similar partnership with PubMatic in December 2024. These strategic moves reflect Western Union's ongoing digital transformation and diversification beyond its traditional money transfer services.

A key component of the agreement includes Western Union Media Network becoming the first commerce media company to leverage Magnite's ClearLine solution. This technology allows Western Union to purchase premium streaming inventory directly from publishers, a move designed to maximize the company's working media budget by eliminating intermediaries.

According to Magnite, the company reaches 92 million connected TV (CTV) households in the United States, representing approximately 9 out of 10 ad-supported CTV households nationwide. This extensive reach provides Western Union with significant access to streaming audiences.

The partnership also enables Western Union to monetize its owned media properties across multiple digital environments. These include the company's website (westernunion.com), along with its iOS and Android mobile applications. According to the announcement, these digital properties collectively reach over 15 million customers in the United States alone.

Stephanie Reustle, Head of Commerce Media at Magnite, emphasized the strategic benefit of the partnership. "We're proud to support Western Union Media Network's entry into advertising by helping them activate efficiently on all fronts," said Reustle. "It's great to see the advanced technology we've built for publishers and advertisers providing value to clients in new fields. We've seen the firsthand benefits of bringing sellers and buyers closer together and helping commerce media brands integrate into the landscape will bring additional advantages for all."

Multicultural audience targeting

A significant aspect of the partnership involves Western Union Media Network utilizing Magnite's Curator Marketplaces for self-serve audience extension. This capability allows Western Union to provide advertisers with access to its multicultural audience by leveraging anonymized transaction data matched against Magnite's inventory.

The financial services company, with a 173-year legacy dating back to its founding in Rochester, New York in 1851, processed transactions generating $4.36 billion in revenue during 2023. Its global network spans more than 200 countries and territories, processing transactions in over 130 currencies.

Chris Hammer, Senior Vice President at Western Union, highlighted the strategic importance of the partnership. "Magnite's expansive technology and service offerings make them a versatile partner that helps us address our desire to grow our business," said Hammer. "We are excited to see this collaboration continue to grow as we scale our Media Network business."

This sentiment echoes Hammer's earlier statements regarding Western Union's December 2024 partnership with PubMatic, where he noted: "PubMatic's expertise in leveraging consumer data supports the delivery of impactful campaigns for our advertiser partners while maintaining high-quality consumer experiences."

Supply-path optimization

Beyond audience targeting capabilities, the agreement includes a supply-path optimization (SPO) component. This streamlines Western Union's access to curated, premium omnichannel inventory through Magnite's platform.

The SPO agreement represents an increasingly common practice in the digital advertising industry, where advertisers seek to reduce the number of intermediaries between themselves and publishers. This approach typically results in greater efficiency, reduced costs, and improved transparency in the advertising supply chain.

Financial services advertising growth

The expanding partnerships with advertising technology companies reflect a broader trend in the financial services sector. Industry analysts at EMARKETER project substantial growth in this market, forecasting U.S. ad spending on financial media networks to increase from $350 million in 2024 to $1.5 billion by 2026. This represents more than a fourfold increase over a two-year period.

Western Union's media network initiatives position the company to capitalize on this growth trend while diversifying its revenue streams beyond traditional financial services. The company's digital transformation includes developing its Media Network as a channel for businesses to deploy targeted messaging to multicultural consumers across digital platforms.

The company's extensive global reach and diverse customer base provide a unique selling proposition in the increasingly competitive commerce media landscape. By leveraging its first-party data and multicultural audience insights, Western Union offers advertisers access to consumer segments that have traditionally been underserved by mainstream advertising channels.

Technical integration details

From a technical perspective, the Magnite integration provides Western Union with several advanced advertising capabilities, including:

1. ClearLine for direct access to premium streaming inventory
2. Monetization tools for owned media properties across web, mobile, and in-app environments
3. Curator Marketplaces for self-serve audience extension
4. Supply-path optimization for streamlined access to premium inventory

These capabilities complement Western Union's earlier integration with PubMatic, which included:

1. SSP capabilities for enhanced onsite monetization
2. OpenWrap header bidding solution for streamlined operations
3. First-party data utilization capabilities
4. Multi-channel inventory management systems

Industry context

The Western Union partnerships with Magnite and PubMatic reflect broader industry trends, including the growing importance of first-party data, the expansion of commerce media networks, and the increasing focus on multicultural audience targeting.

As traditional advertising identifiers face increasing restrictions due to privacy regulations and platform changes, first-party data has become increasingly valuable. Western Union's transaction data provides insights into consumer behavior that can be leveraged for targeting without relying on third-party cookies or device identifiers.

Additionally, the rise of commerce media networks has accelerated as retailers and service providers recognize the value of their customer relationships and owned media properties. Companies as diverse as Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, and now Western Union have established media networks to capitalize on these assets.

Future implications

The partnership represents a significant advancement in financial services advertising technology, combining Western Union's global reach and diverse customer base with Magnite's advanced advertising infrastructure. As Western Union continues to evolve its digital services portfolio beyond traditional money transfer services, its media network capabilities provide a new revenue stream while offering advertisers unique access to its multicultural customer base.

For the broader advertising technology landscape, the partnership demonstrates the continued expansion of commerce media networks beyond traditional retail environments. Financial services companies, with their rich first-party data and established customer relationships, represent a logical extension of the commerce media concept.

As Western Union builds out its media network capabilities through partnerships with companies like Magnite and PubMatic, it positions itself at the intersection of financial services and digital advertising—two sectors experiencing significant technological disruption and digital transformation.

Timeline of Western Union's media network development

• 1851: Western Union founded in Rochester, New York as a telegraph company
• 2023: Western Union generates $4.36 billion in revenue
• December 3, 2024: Western Union announces expanded collaboration with PubMatic to strengthen commerce media capabilities
• April 16, 2025: Western Union Media Network announces agreement with Magnite to support growth of media network business
• Present: Industry analysts forecast U.S. ad spending on financial media networks to grow from $350 million in 2024 to $1.5 billion by 2026