mVisa; The Safe and Convenient New Way to Pay at No Costs

Visa has announced a new mobile payment service, mVisa, which brings the benefits of secure digital commerce to financial institutions, merchants and consumers in emerging markets.

With mVisa, consumers can now make cardless purchases, pay bills and send money to friends and family members. They can also make deposits and withdrawals at agent locations. This is expected to accelerate the creation of new digital commerce experiences and supports consumers who increasingly rely on connected devices to shop, pay and get paid.

How mVisa works

It is designed to provide all consumers the ability to access funds from any underlying account for everyday purchases and bill payments, giving them a more secure and convenient way to pay.
Consumers will be able to access the mVisa application by downloading or refreshing their mobile banking app on their smart phone or access using USSD number on their feature phone and securely link their Visa debit, credit or prepaid account to the mVisa application.
Once activated, it enables consumers make payments pay for purchases in retail stores, fuel stations and online by simply initiating a transfer of funds from their account to the merchant’s account. Additionally, mVisa users will be able to pay bills, send funds to other Visa account holders and make deposits and withdrawals at mVisa agents.
Consumers will be able to make payments by scanning a merchants QR code or by using a USSD code.
mVisa transactions are processed via Visa’s global network, VisaNet, applying the scale, security and reliability of Visa to mobile payments in emerging markets. The service is designed to enable consumers to engage in secure, digital commerce, and more easily access funds in their existing bank accounts to make everyday purchases, pay utility bills including government services.
Merchants and billers benefit by offering consumers a more convenient and secure way to pay, and are instantly notified via SMS text message when a payment has been received.
mVisa is available at 1500 merchant locations in Kenya.
Merchants with any type of phone can receive payments with real-time notifications providing instant liquidity to manage their business more effectively.