Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Visa's Latin America and Caribbean Payments Volume Grows 20.4% to $58 Billion





http://www.visa.comVisa Quarterly Payments Volume in Latin America and the Caribbean Grew 20.4%* to US$58 Billion

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visa Inc. reported a 20.4% growth in total payments volume in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), for a total of US$58 billion for the fiscal second quarter 2010, ended March 31, 2010. Debit payments volume increased by 22% to US$18 billion for the same period.
“Visa is well-positioned to leverage economic growth in Latin America thanks to our global brand, secure payments processing network and the broad set of Visa-branded payment solutions.”
“We are expanding our business by growing our card base and acceptance locations, augmenting our processing capabilities, and driving transactions at the point of sale,” said Eduardo Eraña, president of Visa Latin America and the Caribbean. “Visa is well-positioned to leverage economic growth in Latin America thanks to our global brand, secure payments processing network and the broad set of Visa-branded payment solutions.”
Visa has a solid portfolio of products and services across Latin America and the Caribbean to respond to the various needs of emerging markets and the growing level of sophistication of its payment system and consumers, which are already enjoying the advantages associated with the use of electronic currency: flexibility, security, efficiency and control.
Businesses and governments are turning to Visa prepaid products such as Visa Nómina and Visa Vale, to disburse payroll, benefits funds and employee incentives. Also, there is an increased penetration of Visa TravelMoney cards, instead of traveler checks. Commercial activity has been boosted by vertical market products, with programs like Visa Agro in Brazil, and also by small and medium businesses, as company owners increasingly use Visa commercial cards rather than their personal cards, to buy equipment, raw materials and pay for services and travel expenses. Debit continues to record double digit-growth, as consumers continue to substitute cash and checks for the convenience of electronic payments.
In advance of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Visa is leveraging its global sponsorship by promoting the issue of Visa themed prepaid, debit and credit products, such as Visa Travel Money in Rands, a prepaid product specially designed for Brazilian consumers traveling to South Africa. Visa is also implementing marketing campaigns giving cardholders the opportunities to win tickets to attend the FIFA World Cup™, the most popular sports event in the region, increasing awareness for Visa services and further incentivizing their use at the point of sale.
About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world’s most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visitwww.corporate.visa.com.
* Period closing on March 31, 2010. Growth over same period for the previous year in constant USD. To eliminate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations against the U.S. dollar in measuring performance, Visa Inc. reports year-over-year growth in payments volume on the basis of local currency information. Payments volume represents the aggregate dollar amount of purchases made with cards carrying the Visa, Visa Electron and Interlink brands for the relevant period.

Contacts

Visa Inc.

Camilo Pino, Latin America and Caribbean Region, + 1-305-328-1493 cpino@visa.com

or

Burson-Marsteller

Sandra Pinto, + 1-305-347-4324

sandra.pinto@bm.com
Permalink: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100511006857/en/Visa-Quarterly-Payments-Volume-Latin-America-Caribbean


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