In 1920, Western Union has implemented the world's first transmission of images over the ocean. Leaving the idea of expansion into Europe, Western Union took up the expansion of services in the U.S. market. In October 2006 the company made an initial public offering of shares on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming independent from First Data company. Before transition to remittances Western Union company rendered services on sphere of cable communication. Number of active holders of "Golden Card" of Western Union amounted to 9.5 million people worldwide.