Visa, a global payments technology company, announced its partnership with Cairo ICT, the largest communications and information technology conference in Egypt, to showcase how innovation is driving financial inclusion around the world. Visa will be delivering a keynote speech during the opening session of the conference on its financial inclusion efforts, how innovative products and solutions are empowering its strategy of expanding access, and how Egypt can serve as a global example for financial inclusion by increasing the government's adoption of electronic payments. Visa will be the official sponsor of the e-payments and financial inclusion exhibition and forum (PAFIX), where high-level officials representing the Egyptian government, several international guests, and banks will have an overview of how Visa considers innovation as one of the main catalysts for expanding access to financial services. PAFIX's discussions will delve deeper into policies, payments innovations and the impact of electronic payments on economic transformation. "Egypt is on track to be at the forefront of the global push to promote digital financial services and Visa is committed to support those efforts. Having access to affordable financial services should be everyone's right – and with today's technology we can make that a reality," said Stephen Kehoe, Senior Vice President of Financial Inclusion at Visa. "Expanding access to financial services requires cooperation among stakeholders to encourage use of electronic payments instead of cash, build the necessary infrastructure and deploy technology solutions to reach as many underserved people as possible. At Visa, we are driven by a vision to connect everyone, everywhere, to the financial system — transcending borders, languages and currencies." Kehoe added: "By promoting financial inclusion, we can help enable people to become thriving, contributing participants in today's economy and improve their quality of life." "At Visa, our growth has always derived from giving more people in more places access to the benefits of electronic payments, along with the financial tools they need to create better lives. Through our products, services and networks, our strategic partnerships and our global financial literacy programmes, Visa is committed to advancing financial inclusion by helping financially underserved people across the globe," he concluded. On his part, Tarek Elhousseiny, General Manager for North and Francophone Africa at Visa, said: "Visa offers digital currency-based solutions to governments around the world to help them transform the way they receive and disburse payments. Our solutions are tailored to the needs of each government, add value to the financial inclusion efforts, and increase the efficiency, transparency, convenience, and security for all stakeholders." "Egypt's efforts to better integrate in the global economy would gain significant momentum if the country relied on payment technologies to enhance the government services experience, increase the efficiency of its operations, and save up to one per cent of its GDP," he added.
