ITC SheTrades and Visa: Asia Pacific
A dynamic collaboration between ITC SheTrades and Visa is lighting the path for women’s economic empowerment across the Asia Pacific region.
Implemented between July 2023 and July 2024 across the Asia Pacific region.
About the project
Visa is deeply rooted in the small & micro business ecosystem in Asia Pacific by delivering tangible value at every stage of the SMB journey, from widening capital, digital, and financial access, improving cashflow, making payments more secure, and thriving in global markets. This collaboration with ITC SheTrades supports women-led SMBs with valuable resources from Visa and its partners.
Past activities
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04 – 06 December 2023: Capacity building and speed networking with partners in Manila, Philippines, addressed export and investment competitiveness and targeting 100 Filipina entrepreneurs. The workshop occurred alongside the “National Exporters Week,” flagship event launched by the Department of Trade and Industry, the SheTrades Hub host institution in the Philippines.
Ongoing activities
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13 – 27 June 2024: A three-part webinar series ‘Harnessing digital solutions for financial success’. Get practical insights on financial planning, digitalization and access to capital, and learn how to leverage Visa’s online resources to upscale your business. Register for the third session here.
The ITC-Visa Self-Assessment Tool
Discover the ITC-Visa Self-Assessment Tool to evaluate your business competitiveness! This tool will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of your business’s current standing, pinpoint areas for improvement, and receive personalized insights to guide your business development strategy.
How to access the ITC-Visa Self Assessment Tool:
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Access the platform here.
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Log in to your account—or create one if you don’t have one.
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Start the assessment and complete it at your own pace.
For additional guidance, please consult the instructions outlined in this guide or watch this webinar, which features insights from ITC experts. These resources provide step-by-step to help you complete the assessment.
Resources from Visa
Basic Digital Financial and Business Skills
Visa Small Business Hub
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A resource site for small businesses to learn the full suite of Visa solutions that may be helpful to digitalise and grow your business.
She’s Next, Empowered by Visa
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A global initiative that champions women like you. Join us and be a part of a network of women business owners who are making a difference.
Visa Recommerce Hub
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Small and microbusinesses play a critical role in the circular economy, driving important progress in sustainable outcomes in markets around the world. Visit the Visa Recommerce Hub to understand how digital payments can influence behaviour and business models for the circular economy.
Visa Accelerator Programme
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The Visa Accelerator Programme is designed for growth stage companies looking to expand their market reach, with a focus on product solutioning, technical integration and fast-tracked commercialisation.
Visa Inclusive Fintech Accelerator:
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Launched in the US, the Inclusive Fintech Accelerator will offer selected founders access to Visa’s internal resources, mentorship, and customized support from industry experts, with the addition of networking opportunities our accelerator partner ecosystem and customized programming.
Resources from Visa Partners
SMEs in Tourism Destinations in Asia Pacific
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Visa and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Tourism Destination Resilience website provides Digital and Financial Skills Self-Paced Courses in 6 languages to boost their digital, financial and cybersecurity literacy.
SMEs in Bangladesh and other parts of South Asia
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Visa collaborated with UNCDF’s Build Back Better programme to improve the recovery and resiliency of small and microbusinesses in Bangladesh. This project developed e-learning modules in EkShop, a national ecommerce platform for small and microbusinesses, where they can access proprietary learning contents, audio-visual and app-base tools.
Daraz University: Learning Platform for SMEs in Online Marketplace (Pakistan)
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The virtual Daraz University platform is created to provide business upskilling resources for enrolled sellers. SMEs selling on the Daraz platform will have access to exclusive resources, tools, services and support center access.
Accelerating Business Growth in Digital Economy for Women Entrepreneurs:
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The Asia Foundation provides mentoring, digital upskilling and marketplace access support to women micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and other markets. Interested women may sign up for the Accelerate My Business program in markets where this programme is active.
Visa Solution Examples for Small Businesses
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Tap to Phone is a program that allows sellers to use their NFC-enabled smart phone as a Point of Sales (POS) without the need of additional hardware.
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Click to Pay is a Visa’s implementation of EMVCo’s newly-published industry-wide standards and specifications that will create a fast, frictionless shopping experience.
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Visa Direct is a push payment platform that allows business, consumers and government to deliver funds from an originating account to a recipient account via VisaNet or ACH/RTP rails, helping to digitize, speed up and simplify payments like P2P, remittance and business disbursements to consumers, workers and small business and more examples.
Funder
