Global Fintech Fast Track program grows 280% in less than a year, supporting women-owned Fintechs, digital currency wallets, B2B and B2C innovators
Initiatives from Fast Track alumni help provide relief for COVID-19 recovery
Contacts
Caylah Novak
Tel: 831-431-3454
Email: cnovak@visa.com
Initiatives from Fast Track alumni help provide relief for COVID-19 recovery
SAN FRANCISCO-Saturday 9 May 2020 [ AETOS Wire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)
-- Fintechs are a central part of the global payments ecosystem, and
amidst COVID-19 have launched further into the spotlight, reporting sizable upticks in the usage of their apps1,
as more people manage their money from their personal devices. Visa
(NYSE: V), today, is proud to announce its continued support of the
global Fintech community, having grown the Fast Track program to over 140 Fintechs2. Since expanding globally in mid-2019, the Fast Track program has grown 280%3, highlighting the surge in demand for digital payments worldwide.
Fast Track
allows both new and established businesses to leverage the speed,
security, reliability and scale of the Visa network to get up and
running quickly, taking the process from months to weeks. The program
provides turnkey access to Visa’s ecosystem partners, online licensing,
APIs, as well as extensive go-to-market toolkits, online education and
expert advice to help Fintechs scale their business. With new members
from Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and
North America, these Fintechs are transforming how consumers and
businesses manage money, invest, receive loans and send payments
worldwide.
“Our goal is
to bring cutting-edge Fintechs into the Visa ecosystem, to help them
grow and scale their business in record time,” said Terry Angelos,
senior vice president and global head of Fintech, Visa. “Through
programs like Fast Track, Visa is committed to helping Fintechs, many of
which are small businesses, advance their potential and get into market
quickly, so they are ready to provide innovations that move the world
forward everyday – especially in current times.”
Fast Track Fintechs Focus on Recovery
Visa partners including Airwallex, Fundation and Rappi
have used their ongoing focus on innovation and growth to be nimble in
their reactions to COVID-19. Australia-founded Airwallex has extended
support to Australia and UK-based small businesses in need by offering
to waive their international transactions fees and U.S.-based Fundation
is helping small businesses quickly get the capital they need during
these times. Rappi out of Colombia has begun piloting food delivery by
robots, working to minimize the spread of the virus. In these videos, Airwallex and Rappi both talk about their experiences in working with Visa.
“During these
challenging times, it’s more important than ever that we are able to
support small businesses by getting them the funds they need as quickly
as possible to stay afloat,” said Sam Graziano, chief executive officer,
Fundation. “Through our partnership with Visa, we will continue to
innovate and develop strategies to aid in the relief and recovery of our
customers' businesses."
Visa Welcomes a New Class of Innovators
The newest members of the Fast Track program
span a diverse range of companies, including female-founded Fintechs,
digital currency wallets, consumer-centric and business-to-business
(B2B) solutions providers. Highlights include:
-
New Enablement Partners: Fast
Track is made possible due to collaboration with enablement partners
who are the critical technology companies that lay the foundation for
Fintechs to build their products. Announced today, three new program
manager enablement partners – Cascade FinTech, Deserve and PEX – are becoming part of Fast Track in the U.S., joining a class of leading companies like Galileo, Marqeta and Stripe, bringing the total number of enablement partners to more than 20 globally.
-
Female Founders: Visa
is committed to the advancement of women’s economic growth. Visa’s
investment in women-owned businesses is further emphasized by the
inclusion of global female-founded Fintechs, Australia-founded Airwallex, and North America-based gogo Getter and Kikoff.
-
Digital Currency Wallets: Digital currency enabled wallets have grown exponentially, with over 139 million user accounts in existence today4. In support of this burgeoning market, digital currency-focused Fast Track companies including Fold, Genesis Block and TrustToken are connecting their consumers to Visa’s 61 million merchant locations worldwide.
-
Consumer Finance Management: Across
platforms, Visa aims to make the everyday management of money easier
for consumers. Fast Track companies including Europe-based Lydia and Swile, Paga in Africa, SoLo Funds in the U.S., and United Arab Emirates-based Wally are among those simplifying money management and driving Fintech app adoption in their communities.
-
Small Business Support: Visa continues to transform the B2B payments space for the digital age. UK-based digital lender Capital on Tap, which provides credit cards and loans to over 60,000 SMBs, and U.S.-based Fundation, which provides an application processing platform for banks and small business lenders, are part of the program. Konfio, a Mexico-based startup that uses a data-first approach to enable fast credit assessment for SMBs, and Neat,
a Hong Kong Fintech startup enabling SMEs to grow their business
globally, are also standout members creating new B2B innovations from
across the globe.
“Right now,
it’s more important than ever to help small businesses navigate through
unknown financial challenges,” said David Arana, chief executive
officer, Konfio. “By working with Visa and through the Fast Track
program, we have been able to offer small businesses access to financial
services that they’re often not given, and provide options to SMEs who
need credit lines to pay for necessities, which is especially important
in today’s environment. We have also developed tools and market research
to complement our financial services.”
“After
recently joining Visa’s Fast Track program, we were able to quickly put
our co-branded debit card into market in the United States,” said Will
Reeves, chief executive officer, Fold. “By working with Visa, we are
delivering on our mission to provide an easy way for shoppers to earn
rewards in bitcoin for their everyday spending, and help our business
continue to scale with the backing of Visa’s vast network and
resources.”
For more information on Visa’s Fast Track program and how to join, visit here.
About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc.
(NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to
connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure
payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to
thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure
and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more
than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless
focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital
commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from
analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people,
network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more
information, visit About Visa, visa.com/blog and @VisaNews.
1 DeVere Group: Coronavirus lockdown: Massive surge in the use of fintech apps, March 2020
2 Visa Fast Track Global Data, May 2020
3 Visa Fast Track Global Data, May 2020
4 Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance 2019 Global Cryptoasset benchmarking study
2 Visa Fast Track Global Data, May 2020
3 Visa Fast Track Global Data, May 2020
4 Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance 2019 Global Cryptoasset benchmarking study
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200507005309/en/
Contacts
Caylah Novak
Tel: 831-431-3454
Email: cnovak@visa.com
