New ways to pay: Bots, tattoos and augmented reality among the innovations pitched to Visa’s Everywhere Initiative

09/23/2016

Australian and New Zealand developers using Visa APIs to help create new payment solutions

Sydney and Auckland – Visa, the global payments technology company, has today announced the winners of The Everywhere Initiative. The competition, which asked start-ups to use Visa APIs to bring new ideas to payments, has been held for the first time in Australia and New Zealand.

“Visa’s view is that co-creation between fintech and established players is how many of tomorrow’s payment experiences will be created,” said Stephen Karpin, Group Country Manager for Visa in Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific. “From making it easier for small businesses to automate purchases using the Internet of Things to developing new ways for consumers with disabilities to make payments, start-ups on both sides of the Tasman have put forward great ideas that we see as shaping the future of payments.”

At the public pitch event last night in Sydney, start-ups took home awards in the following categories:

  • The Everywhere API Consumer Challenge: this challenge asked start-ups to use Visa API to improve the experience or solve a problem faced by consumers when they make or receive payments.

    • Winner: Jude (New Zealand).  Jude is a bot that helps consumers manage their money and pay bills on time.

     

  • The Everywhere API Commercial Challenge: use Visa APIs to address a problem experienced by businesses when they make or receive payments

    • Winner: Proximiti (Australia). Proximiti offers a location services and data analytics platform that adds real-world context to digital interactions.

     

  • The Everyone, Everywhere Challenge: develop a solution that makes payments frictionless for people with disabilities, expanding access to Visa’s payments to everyone, everywhere

    • Winner: Rush Digital (New Zealand). Rush Digital creates experiences that transcend virtual technology into the real world. For example, they could develop platforms that could  process payments for disabled consumers, through solutions like temporary tattoos or e-Braille.

     

  • People’s Choice Award: this award was voted on by the audience at the pitch event, both in the room and via webcast

    • Winner: Persollo (Australia). Persollo is a one-step checkout solution for brands and retailers and allows sellers to easily add product to platform, generate a payment link and share for easy payment.

     

  • Overall Winner of The Everywhere Initiative: Top honours went to Thought-Wired, from New Zealand, who was awarded the overall prize of AUD$50,000 and the chance to pilot their winning idea with Visa. Thought-Wired makes nous, a thought-controlled communication solution for people who cannot move or talk because of profound disabilities. Their idea was about incorporating payment capability into the nous device, to make it easier for consumers with disabilities to access electronic payments.

“Congratulations to all of The Everywhere Initiative winners. The quality of the ideas put forward demonstrates why Australia and New Zealand are so often at the forefront of payments innovation,” said Mr Karpin.

This was the first time Visa ran The Everywhere Initiative in Australia and New Zealand, having held previous competitions in the United States and China. Local partners included Australian co-working space Tank Stream Labs and New Zealand business growth hub The Icehouse.

“As Visa transforms into an open commerce platform, the Everywhere Initiative is one way that we’re learning to speak the same language as start-ups,” said Shiv Singh, Senior Vice President Global Head of Digital and Marketing Transformation at Visa’s headquarters in the United States. “We continue to work with a number of start-ups who took part in the US and China competitions. I’m excited for the finalists from Australia and New Zealand to join our growing network of Everywhere Initiative alumni from around the world and help shape the future of commerce.”

Find out more about The Everywhere Initiative: vi.sa/TEI

 

About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information visit www.visa.com.au and @VisaNewsAU.

Media contact
Jillian Friant
Visa
02 9253 8811 or 0450 739 035
[email protected]