Corporate Responsibility

Strategic Partnerships

We recognize that addressing the global need for financial inclusion requires a collective effort from many different organizations. To that end, we partner with and support leading nongovernmental organizations that have the expertise, experience and ability to understand the daily financial needs of the underserved and deliver on-the-ground programs to meet those needs

Visa and Inter-American Development Bank Drive Financial Inclusion in Brazil

Visa has partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to promote financial inclusion for residents of Complexo do Alemão, an underserved community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Visa will help IDB use sports, health and local educational programs to drive social development and inclusion. Visa’s collaboration with IDB will provide the community with innovative solutions that give them expanded access to the formal financial system, offer individuals and local business owners free financial consultancy services and enable local classes in financial literacy.

Rwanda and Visa Inc. Charter of Collaboration

Visa and the Government of Rwanda established a Charter of Collaboration to develop localized solutions to extend access to financial services to local and international consumers throughout the country. The partnership is a step in the Government of Rwanda's Vision 2020 plan, the country's blueprint to become a middle-income nation within the coming decade, with per capita income of $1,000 by 2020, up from $220 in 2000. The success of that plan relies on a number of pillars, including shifting to a knowledge-based economy, private sector development and improving infrastructure.

Women’s World Banking Nigeria Savings Program

Visa is partnering with Women’s World Banking, a global network of microfinance organizations that works to empower poor women and their families economically, to drive financial inclusion for women in Nigeria. Visa is providing philanthropic funding to Women’s World Banking to support their work to help develop a commercially viable savings product tailored to the needs of the women in the country who are financially underserved. The program will include three phases: research; designing and rolling out a savings product that will be available at physical bank branches and on mobile phones; and a national launch after a successful pilot. In addition, financial education for women will be provided in partnership with local community organizations.

GSMA mWomen Global Development Alliance

The GSMA mWomen Global Development Alliance aims to improve women’s access to life-enhancing services such as financial services, education and healthcare through mobile technology. While mobile financial services offer an unparalleled opportunity to advance financial inclusion, 300 million fewer women than men own mobile phones.
Visa is partnering with GSMA, USAID and AusAID on a global effort to reduce the mobile phone gender gap and accelerate women’s empowerment in low- and middle- income countries across the globe.

The public-private partnership focuses on:

Research into women’s demand for and usage of mobile technologies, including mobile financial services
Sharing and replicating best practices throughout the mobile industry and development community
Grants to mobile operators to implement mWomen opportunities, products and services
Grants for NGOs to collaborate with mobile operators in designing activities that address the barriers to mobile phone usage

Oxfam America

Visa partners with Oxfam America to support Saving for Change, a community finance program. Saving for Change helps village groups, typically comprised of women, act as their own community banks by training their members to save, lend, borrow and pay each other interest. The program currently reaches more than 500,000 people in five countries—Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mali, and Senegal.

Kiva.org

Visa partners with Kiva.org, the world’s first personal microlending website, to expand economic inclusion opportunities for U.S. small businesses through access to microloans. American small businesses are a vital component of economic growth. However, according to a 2011 study commissioned by Kiva and Visa, smaller businesses tend to be vulnerable and go out of business more frequently than larger firms, often due to the difficulty of accessing small loans.

Supported by Visa’s $1 million contribution, Kiva launched a new program, “Kiva City,” to bring the Kiva lending platform to more areas across the United States. The program is helping more small businesses tap into the capital provided by Kiva’s global network of more than 600,000 lenders.

Teach For America & Teach For All

As a foundation for financial inclusion, we recognize that basic education and literacy are essential. This is why Visa supports Teach For America and Teach For All. Both organizations aspire to the vision that one day, all children will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

Expanding Financial Inclusion with Kiva

Click here to watch a video of the president of Kiva explaining how, together, Visa and Kiva are expanding opportunities for U.S. small businesses through the power of microloans.