Visa Everywhere Initiative 2022 invites fintech and payment startups to showcase their solutions on a global stage

Innovative fintech startups across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa are invited to sign up to gain exposure and access to Visa’s network, as well as $35 000 for CEMEA Final, and $125 000 for Global Final, in total prize money

KYIV, February 1, 2022 – The Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI), a global open innovation program is inviting fintech and payment startups to showcase their innovative products and solutions, with finalists gaining first-hand exposure to key fintech stakeholders across banking, merchant, VC and government sectors. Winners of the competition will be awarded monetary prizes and the opportunity to partner with a global, trusted brand like Visa.

This year’s program has expanded to include startups that are using cryptocurrency and Visa Direct, a payment solution that can help businesses move money to billions of endpoints worldwide via card and account rails, in innovative ways. Finalists from across the world that are driving economic growth will converge in Qatar this November for the VEI finals.

“Fintechs and other payments innovators are transforming the way consumers and businesses make payments, making access to money increasingly simple and secure – especially during the global digitalization due to the pandemic. Every year, we observe a rapid transformation and digitization of the financial sector in Ukraine, as well as the emergence of new players in the fintech community. I believe that Ukraine has every chance to be well represented at this year's Visa Everywhere Initiative 2022 global competition,” said Svitlana Chyrva, Visa Country Manager for Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus.

Moreover, past editions of VEI have given some of the most promising innovators in the payments space a shot at accelerating their growth. MayaSoft, a startup from Uzbekistan and one of the winners of the CEMEA region, presented the first contactless payment solution in Uzbekistan in partnership with Visa based on Visa Tap to Phone technology, certified according to the requirements of the Visa Ready program in 2021. In addition, PAYZE from Georgia became the winner of the CEMEA region last year for the best innovative and commercial payment solution, responding to the trends of today.

“Competing on a global stage alongside some of the most prestigious startups in the world and being able to receive that global exposure and support from a trusted brand like Visa was an exceptional achievement for PAYZE,” said Giorgi Tsurtsumia, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of PAYZE (Tbilisi, Georgia) as well as 2021 VEI CEMEA Winner.

PAYZE is an e-commerce-oriented fintech that enables businesses across CIS countries to accept payments from around the world through a single integration. With the support of Visa’s network and a cash prize of $25,000, the PAYZE team is busy fulfilling their vision, having processed more than 250,000 transactions across 2021.

The competition also saw Karachi-based fintech, Safepay, win the CEMEA Audience Favorite award and $10,000 in prize money. Safepay specializes in secure payment processing for e-commerce stores and helps merchants increase checkout conversions, expedite receivables, and streamline sales by allowing their customers to pay online.

The VEI network includes 8,500 startups from around the world, which continues to grow every year. Since its launch in 2015, the program has helped startups from over 100 countries collectively raise more than $2.5 billion in funding, addressing one of the biggest challenges faced by early-stage entrepreneurs. Every year, the scope of VEI is expanded to engage with unique startups and solve unique problems in the world of payments.

This year, the program will have a clear focus on CEMEA, a region with tremendous opportunity for fintechs that are developing innovative products and solutions aimed at supporting the community. The latest edition of VEI sees two new editions in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as the global finale in Qatar in November 2022.

VEI is seeking innovative and ambitious entrepreneurs who are solving payment and commerce challenges faced by businesses of all sizes and sectors, including:

Enablers of digital services and digital issuers

Blockchain and cryptocurrency
Crowdfunding
Banking-as-a-Service
BIN sponsors
Issuer/processors
Program managers

Digital Issuance

Blockchain and cryptocurrency
Alternative lending
Personal financial management
Money transfer and remittance
Digital banking (aka neo banks)
Digital wallets, peer-to-peer (P2P) and transfers
Employee benefits
Payables
Corporate cards (aka expense management)

Value-add for merchants and/or consumers in the finance space

Data and analytics
ID, authentication and security
InsurTech
Loyalty
Merchant services and tools
Process and payment infrastructure
Retail technology
Other

Small- and medium-sized businesses

Money movement (disbursements, Intra-account, P2P vendor and payments)
Acceptance (e-commerce and mobile acceptance)
Risk management (chargebacks, etc.)
Brand management (Community building, etc.)
Other

Visa does not acquire any equity from Visa Everywhere Initiative competitors as part of this competition.

More information and application details are available here.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.ua.

Media Contacts

Olena Gavinska
Corporate Communications Director, Visa CISSEE
Phone: +38 044 22 00 300