Due to regulatory requirements and consumer demand in Germany and France, MoneyGram opened company stores in both countries. MoneyGram wired transfer implemented many changes to its technology platforms designed to prevent or detect suspicious transactions. AgentConnect allows MoneyGram agents to integrate the money transfer service with their internal security and training processes. In 2011, a global network of agents of MoneyGram has grown up to 256 000 service points, thus its growth is 24% compared to the same period of the previous year. MoneyGram launched a new in-person bill payment service which will be delivered through agents in their domestic network, giving consumers an easy, low-cost method to pay their bills. It is very convenient and quick to transfer money without opening accounts and having no payment cards, precisely due to this wired transfer system MoneyGram has become one of the most common worldwide. The Global Funds Transfer segment is the primary segment of MoneyGram, providing money transfer and bill payment services to consumers, who are often unbanked or underbanked. In March 2012, the company MoneyGram merged with the network of U.S. payment centers ZipZap.