Western Union Company today announced that consumers in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the U.K. now have the option to fund online and mobile Western Union Money Transfer transactions using their bank accounts, according to a press release.

​Today's launch adds to Western Union's online and mobile bank account-based services, which enable senders to tailor transactions according to their unique needs, including speed of delivery, method of payment, cost of service and consumer preference on the receive side of the transaction, according to the announcement.

"Western Union continues to develop online capabilities that cater to the high-principal, account-based customer," Khalid Fellahi, senior vice president and general manager of Western Union Digital, said in a statement. "Providing bank account-based funding options expands our relevance to a wider customer set and makes WU.com a compelling choice for banked customers worldwide."

The new funding option enables account-based payment for online money transfers to more than 200 countries and territories via integration with online banking portals, according to the announcement. Senders can direct their money transfers into a receiver's bank account in certain countries or opt for cash payout at more than 500,000 Western Union retail agent locations worldwide.

Bank account funding for online and mobile money transfers at WU.com was developed in conjunction with Sofort AG for services in Austria, Germany, Belgium and the U.K., and with iDeal for services in the Netherlands.