Visa envisions a world where all individuals and businesses are able to use secure, convenient and affordable payment and other financial services to meet everyday needs and long-term goals. We are proud of our history of contributing to the growth of worldwide financial networks, implementing financial inclusion initiatives, providing free, award-winning financial literacy programs and using our time, talent and assets to strengthen local communities.
According to the 2017 World Bank Findex Study, an estimated 1.7 billion adults remain unbanked, and women are less likely than men to have a bank account1. To be one of these people is to face financial barriers that make life risky, expensive and inefficient. Financial Inclusion can help put people on a path out of poverty, create productive empowered citizens, foster business opportunities and fuel economic growth.
Digital payments are an “on ramp” to financial inclusion — very often, they are the first formal financial product a person uses. Visa has spent the last 60 years connecting hundreds of millions of people and organizations to a global system that enables fast, safe and reliable financial transactions. With our reach, insights and technical capacity, Visa is well positioned to advance financial inclusion.