Home Industry Finance Visa unveils new payment installment solution for cardholders Participating card issuers and acquirers in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be able to offer cardholders flexible and transparent payment plans at merchant checkouts, both in-store and online by Gulf Business October 18, 2023 Image: Getty Images Visa has announced its plans to introduce the Visa Installment Solution (VIS) in GCC for the first time. VIS enables clients and partners to implement installment solutions on a larger scale, providing widespread acceptance while enhancing the consumer shopping experience. This solution aims to offer eligible Visa credit cardholders flexible payment options, enabling them to effectively manage their budgets and make larger purchases more affordable. The company is working with local issuers and acquirers in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to ensure they are technologically ready to support and offer the solution to consumers by March-April 2024. Currently live in five countries including Canada, US, UK, Hong Kong and Malaysia, the payments solution provider is enabling VIS globally with the goal to transform the checkout experience across over 30 countries in the next five years. How Visa’s VIS works VIS is a real-time API-based platform that unites key stakeholders in the payment ecosystem, including issuing banks, payment processors, merchants, and payment facilitators. This integrated system allows consumers to activate installment payments at checkout based on their eligibility, whether at point-of-service terminals or eCommerce platforms. With VIS, cardholders can seamlessly utilise their existing credit cards or new ones within a flexible, interoperable framework that accommodates any bank. Dr Saeeda Jaffar, Visa’s Senior VP and group country manager for GCC, stated: “At Visa, we always look for ways to improve our customer experience, and support local businesses with innovative payment solutions for their customers. That’s why we’re excited to debut our installment solution for the first time in the GCC. “Our journey has already begun with UAE’s NeoPay, Mashreq Bank‘s subsidiary, and we eagerly anticipate partnering with more of our local stakeholders and partners across the region to fast-track adoption.” Tags finance flexible payments GCC News Visa Installment Solution You might also like Novartis Gulf’s Mohamed Ezz Eldin on the region’s key healthcare trends Bahrain’s ATME aims transforming regional markets with asset tokenisation Financial gap to meet SDGs in MEASA hits $5tn annually: NYUAD UAE, Saudi Arabia lead M&A activity in MENA in 2024: EY