The Advisory Council will include global thought leaders Dr. Axel Weber, Lord Jonathan Hill and Ambassador Koji Tsuruoka

Visa (NYSE: V), a leading global payments technology company, announced today the formation of an Advisory Council for the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute. The Visa Economic Empowerment Institute is a forum for original research and public-private dialogue on payments and public policy. The Advisory Council will bring to the Institute decades of collective insights and experiences from some of the leading thought leaders in international finance and diplomacy in the world today. With the strategic guidance of the Advisory Council, the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute will be able to accelerate its agenda for driving access to digital payments and unlocking new opportunities for economic growth.

The founding members of the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute Advisory Council are:

• Dr. Axel Weber (Chair), former UBS Chairman and former president of the German Central Bank (Bundesbank). Weber is currently a senior global adviser to Boston Consulting Group and a member of the advisory board for fintech provider Raisin. “I am honored to serve as Chair of the inaugural Visa Economic empowerment Institute Advisory Council,” said Weber. “We need to overcome the continued gaps in economic opportunities that are making it difficult for all individuals to equally take part in the global payments ecosystem. I am confident that our collective knowledge and expertise at the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute will help drive impactful strides in public policies designed to empower all.”
• The Rt Hon. Lord Hill, Member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom and former European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. “The biggest policy challenge we face in Europe is how to increase the competitiveness of our economy and accelerate growth. If we fail in that, we will fail in everything. Through its research, I hope the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute will help show policy makers what they need to do to strengthen their economies and spread opportunities for businesses to grow,” said Lord Hill.
• Ambassador Koji Tsuruoka, former Japanese Ambassador to the United Kingdom and chief negotiator for international trade agreements including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Tsuruoka spent 43 years with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I know firsthand the impact that strategic and international collaboration can have on expanding access to the global economy,” said Tsuruoka. “To be a part of the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute Advisory Council at its genesis is an exciting next chapter to unlock the potential and growth in payments.”

“The Visa Economic Empowerment Institute is a natural extension of Visa’s purpose – to uplift everyone, everywhere. Axel, Koji and Jonathan share our passion for economic empowerment and will bring new perspectives to the payments policy discourse,” said Kelly Mahon Tullier, Vice Chair, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer of Visa. “We are thrilled to add the strategic guidance of three global leaders whose collective expertise spans almost a century of knowledge.”

The Advisory Council will focus on amplifying the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute’s three strategic research pillars:

• Imagining an open future for payments: We identify opportunities for the public and private sectors to work together to create and sustain an open and innovative payments ecosystem so that individuals, businesses, and economies can thrive.
• Unlocking growth through trade: Working together, stakeholders can find the right balance to ensure that the digital trade realm is competitive, seamless, secure, and accessible to all.
• Fostering digital equity & inclusion: Our goal in promoting digital equity is to reach the point at which all individuals and businesses can participate in and receive the benefits of the digital economy.

For more information on the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute and Visa’s commitment to economic empowerment, visit here.

About Visa Inc.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

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