Today is a special day for us at Ria. Not only is it a very big day for many of our customers who want to recognize their mother’s at this important time of year by sending the gift of cash for Mother’s Day; but it is also our 25th Anniversary today.
We’ve come a long way! Twenty-five years ago we opened our doors for business in New York City primarily to service the Eastern Seaboard to Latin American countries. Since then we have grown to operate in more than 136 countries on six continents and in 146,000 locations worldwide.
Twenty-five years ago it would be hard for anyone to imagine how far we would have come technologically worldwide. In 1987 there were approximately 1 Million active cell phones, today there are 4.6 Billion – every minute 1000 are added. In the last twenty-five years we have seen the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the end of Apartheid in South Africa, and the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Our business has grown from offering Money Transfer exclusively to adding Bill Payment, Check Cashing, and Mobile Top-Ups. We are constantly growing our global footprint and our service offerings to better meet the needs of you – our consumers. “In the last 25 years, our staff has grown to nearly 2,000 employees, our Agent & Correspondent network has grown exponentially, and together our efforts are helping us to grow our global market presence, our innovative offerings and our personalized approach to this business,” said Juan C. Bianchi, President and CEO, Ria. “We couldn’t have done it alone, and so today we celebrate 25 Years With You, and look forward to many, many more!”
Fun Facts from 25 years ago
• 1 gallon of gas averaged - 89 cents
• Ford Escort was the top selling Auto - $6,895
• Average cost of a new home - $92k
• The world’s population reached 5 Billion – we now have almost that many cell phones
• Fox Broadcasting made its TV debut
• www.Apple.com went live online
• Disposable contact lenses became available
• The Simpsons were seen on TV for the first time
• Three Men and a Baby was the most popular film
• Michael Jackson’s BAD album and Single were number One
• Unemployment was 6.2%
• Super Bowl Champs – NY Giants
• Minnesota won the World Series
• LA Lakers won the NBA Championship
• Platoon won the Oscar for Best Picture