NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 15, 2002 -- eCatalystOne, a leading provider of global online payment services, today announced its contract and launch of service with Western Union's SwiftPay service.

As an early partner with Western Union, eCatalystOne was a pioneer with Western Union as a first user of the earlier PayCash program from Western Union. Now as deposits to stored-value accounts go mainstream, switching to the more robust SwiftPay affords more functionality and broader coverage for US deposits into ePaid accounts for any of eCatalystOne's Distribution Partners.

Through eCatalystOne's ePaid service, our Distribution Partners can now offer their services to US consumers. These consumers will easily find a nearby Western Agent (40,000+ nationwide) to handle their SwiftPay deposit into their ePaid account.

"Many of our Distribution Partners are targeting cash-based cultures within in the US and elsewhere. With this capability, US consumers will be able to participate directly in the ePAID online commerce network, whether their provider (Distribution Partner) is based in the US or elsewhere." stated Dennis Andrews, CEO of eCatalystOne.

About eCatalystOne
eCatalystOne, based in Newport Beach, Calif., is an Internet technology company focused on building the infrastructure necessary to enable non-credit based payment solutions for online transactions. The company's first product, the highly-scalable ePAID system, provides major distribution partners the opportunity to issue their own branded prepaid instruments for consumers to use for online purchases in an environment that provides unprecedented security, total anonymity and is not dependent on credit systems in any way.

About Western Union
Western Union is a global leader in money transfer and message services, with a history of pioneering service dating back more than 150 years. Western Union continues today to help consumers and businesses securely transfer money or make payments using money orders and other electronic systems. Consumers can quickly and easily transfer money to more than 117,000 Western Union Agent locations in over 185 countries worldwide - the largest network of its kind. Western Union also markets more than one quarter billion money orders every year. With about 1,800 employees and $2 billion in revenue, Western Union remains an industry leader with an eye toward providing fast and reliable money and messaging services. Western Union Financial Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC).