Visa announces fintech fast-track programme in Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa

Regional FinTechs will be able to connect to Visa's payment network in four weeks

Visa announced on Tuesday it is expanding its fintech fast-track programme in the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region as part of its efforts in developing the next generation of digital payment solutions. Already rolled out in Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, the programme provides innovative fintechs with a faster and easier integration process with VisaNet, Visa's global network, in addition to a suite of tailored digital solutions and growth capabilities.
With the Visa fast-track programme, fintechs based in CEMEA can now onboard to Visa's global network in as little as four weeks. The programme has been tailored to the needs of fintechs, adapting to their realities and providing them with processes that are faster, which include reducing the number of onboarding conditions. The programme also links fintechs to platforms that are already certified by Visa and connects fintechs to sponsoring banks, providing fintechs with scaling opportunities through Visa's global network.
Andrew Torre, Visa's regional president in CEMEA, said, "The payments ecosystem is evolving at an unprecedented pace with some of the most exciting innovations coming from our region. We are actively engaged with passionate, entrepreneurial communities to understand where synergies exist in order to foster and bring new experiences to life in a secure and scalable manner in our pursuit of a digital future. Our aim is to connect new players and ideas with our network partners, so that we can deliver intuitive and relevant payment, banking, and retail experiences to customers and merchants."
The fintech fast-track programme provides a new commercial framework that includes access to Visa's payment capabilities, reduced fees, and streamlined processes. After successful launches in Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific in the second half of 2018, the programme is now available to fintechs in CEMEA. In CEMEA, Visa is inviting all innovative fintechs in the region to apply to the programme by registering online through the programme website – www.visa.com/fintechcemea.
The fast-track programme is one of several Visa initiatives designed to support fintech and start-up companies. These include:
Investment: Visa continuously evaluates and invests in companies that have the potential to advance digital payments for our clients and their customers. Recent fintech investments globally have included Klarna, Paidy, Marqeta, and PayStack in Nigeria.
Partnership: Many payment platforms and fintechs are already collaborating with Visa globally to create new consumer and merchant experiences, including YellowPepper, Novo Payment, Stripe, Conductor, Flutterwave, and Revolut.
Engagement: Visa's Everywhere Initiative, a global innovation program that tasks startups with solving some of the most challenging issues in payments and commerce, has been running in CEMEA since 2017.