Singapore – Global financial services company Visa has officially announced the five start-ups it has selected in the Asia Pacific region to be part of its first-ever s accelerator program in the region. They are Brankas, Curlec, DigitSecure, ModusBox and Open.
It should be recalled that Visa had announced last December 2020 the start of the application process for the Visa Accelerator Program, which is designed for start-ups that have built a consumer base in their home country, and are ready to enter new geographical and consumer regions.
Speaking about the announcement back then, Dan Wolbert, Visa country manager for the Philippines & Guam stated, “What’s most important to Visa is how we can support those solutions getting elevated to a stage where in a few months’ time, they could be pitched as a commercial deal to a leading bank, retailer or technology company in the region. A big differentiator for the Visa Accelerator Program is our concentration on a small number of startups that are truly ready to unlock that next level.”
Brankas is a fintech company that provides financial software and solutions, will leverage the open banking and open data environment to create new payment and data-led experiences. Meanwhile, Curlec, a subscription management platform and ModusBox, an open source platform for real-time payments, will develop new ways to pay and be paid digitally to help drive financial inclusion for more consumers and businesses
Open, a neo-banking platform for small businesses, and DigitSecure, an omnichannel payments acceptance platform, will find new ways to support small businesses in managing and streamlining their operations digitally as they adapt to changing technology demands.
“Hundreds of startups came forward with outstanding ideas for new and enhanced commerce experiences, but the five participants we’ve selected truly stood out. We’re excited to work with each of the startups in our first cohort to bring their concepts to life and expand their businesses into new markets across the region,” said Chris Clark, regional president for Asia Pacific at Visa.
Over the next four to six months, the startups will focus on creating defined commercial opportunities to collaborate on new payment solutions with Visa and its extensive network of bank and merchant partners. A key goal for the accelerator program is to support startups that have launched successful solutions in their home markets as they plan their next stage of growth.
