Leaving the idea of expansion into Europe, Western Union took up the expansion of services in the U.S. market. The Western Union Company is a leader in global payment services In 1879 Western Union left the telephone business after losing a lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell - the patent holder on the phone. Number of active holders of "Golden Card" of Western Union amounted to 9.5 million people worldwide. Western Union for more than 130 years provides money transfer services to its customers.