• ABOUT US
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Advertising
    • Subscription
  • CONTACT US
Georgia Today
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Georgia Today
No Result
View All Result

Payze of Georgia is 2021 Winner of Visa Everywhere Initiative for CEMEA Region

by Georgia Today
June 11, 2021
in Business & Economy
Reading Time: 4 mins read
Payze of Georgia is 2021 Winner of Visa Everywhere Initiative for CEMEA Region

760 fintech applicants from CEMEA region entered the competition with innovative payment and commerce solutions to solve the payment challenges of tomorrow

Visa today announced the regional winners for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) in its Visa Everywhere Initiative, a global innovation program and competition for startups and fintech companies.

First place for CEMEA and $15,000 in prize money went to Payze of Georgia. Payze now advances to the global finals being held on September 14 with $100,000 in prizes available including $50,000 for the overall winner.

Founded in 2020 by Giorgi Tsurtsumia and Kakha Gelashvili, Payze is an innovator of financial transactions, helping businesses in CIS countries accept payments from around the world through a single integration. By April 2021 Payze has been processing more than serving more than 200 merchants growing 35% month over month in gross transaction volume.

 “We are excited  and proud to share that the winner of Visa Everywhere Initiative in CEMEA is originated from Georgia. The fact that the Georgian startup became the main finalist of Visa Everywhere Initiative in CEMEA among 760 applicants proves that Georgia is not only the world’s leader in contactless payments, but also has a great influence on the world’s fintech map. We are proud, that Visa, leading the way in the development of cashless economy in Georgia and the Caucasus region, is an active initiator of a such range of programs and strives to create a stable cohesion between the ideas and their implementation connecting fintech companies and traditional players of the financial system all over the world. Success attend you during the finals, Payze!”, mentioned Diana Kiguradze, Country Manager for the Caucasus region.

Also honored at the June 9 CEMEA regional finals was Safepay of Pakistan, which took the Audience Favorite award and $10,000 in prize money.

TechCrunch is a leading online publisher focused on the tech industry, being the heart of the global startup ecosystem. As a media partner of Visa Everywhere Initiative, TechCrunch hosted the CEMEA regional finals in the live-streamed format. Thanks to their continuing support, the finalist virtually presented their solutions to the payment challenges of tomorrow to an expert panel of judges.

The expert panel of judges included:

  • Shereen Abdulla, Senior Manager, DIFC Fintech Hive;
  • Neil Caldwell, Senior Vice-President, Head of Merchant Sales & Acquisitions, Visa CEMEA;
  • Ines Rocha, Director for Financial Products, SME Finance & Development Team, EBRD;
  • Tad Tilahun, Senior Vice-President, Head of Products and Solutions, Visa CEMEA;
  • Otto Williams, Senior Vice-President, Head of Partnerships, Innovation & Digital Solutions, Visa CEMEA;
  • Rena Zuabi, Value Creation, Disruptive Investments, Mubadala.

“Winning Visa Everywhere Initiative is a testament of the hard work our team is putting forward, and we are extremely proud of this achievement. It was fascinating and at the same time challenging experience competing against the best startups in the region, but it was a growth point to us as a startup which has been contributing to the process of receiving and managing online payments of any tech company or person in the CIS region. We are grateful to Visa for providing all 760 applicants in CEMEA with this unique opportunity and believe that the tools and technologies Visa offers are crucial for the further development of payment ecosystem”, told Giorgi Tsurtsumia, co-founder, Payze.

The Visa Everywhere Initiative helps fintech innovators in two ways: as a program, it plugs them into the network of startups that our product teams from all over the world access when searching for solutions; and as a competition, it gives them a forum in which to make a pitch to a panel of payments experts, win prizes and gain wider attention.

The competition is tailored to startups and fintechs with great products already in market and gaining traction – and looking for an extra push from a global, trusted brand like Visa to gain scale.

In all, five companies advanced to the CEMEA regional finals. Besides Payze and Safepay, the other three finalists were:

  • Habtamu Tadesse, Founder & CEO, ArifPay, Ethiopia
  • Alexander Grishin, Executive Director, Corp.bank, Russia
  • Michael Femi Simeon, Co-Founder & CEO, VPD Money, Nigeria

The focus of this year’s competition is on products that deliver innovative payment and commerce solutions to consumers and businesses. These encompass the market areas of: Enablers of digital services and digital issuers; Digital issuance; Value-add for merchants and/or consumers in regard to finance; and Small to medium-sized business recovery. In overall, more than 2000 applicants participated in the competition.

In the global finals, which will be live-streamed on TechCrunch, Payze will compete against regional winners from Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America.

The Visa Everywhere Initiative is a global, open innovation program that tasks start-ups and fintechs to solve payment and commerce challenges of tomorrow, further enhance their own product propositions and provide visionary solutions for Visa’s vast network of partners. The program launched in the U.S. in 2015 and quickly expanded into a global program with more than 7,000 participating startups. To date, startups have collectively raised over $2.5 billion in funding, and the program has been activated on six continents – touching more than 100 countries. For more information, visit visa.com.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network – enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere.  As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce.

Tags: VisaVisa Everywhere Initiative
ShareShareTweet

Related Posts

Domestic Tourism drops in Georgia, spending decreases by nearly 9%
Business & Economy

Domestic Tourism drops in Georgia, spending decreases by nearly 9%

May 30, 2025
David Chikviladze, Founder and General Director of the Georgian Animal Federation
Business & Economy

The Georgian Animal Federation (GAF) and Charitable Foundation Shemifare Expand Network of Veterinary Clinics—Built on Ethics, Compassion, and Professionalism

May 29, 2025
Silk Cloud Partners with Orange Polska’s Integrated Solutions to Boost Georgia’s Digital Transformation
Business & Economy

Silk Cloud Partners with Orange Polska’s Integrated Solutions to Boost Georgia’s Digital Transformation

May 29, 2025

Recommended

Putin, Xi, and allied leaders mark Russia’s Victory Day at Moscow parade

Putin, Xi, and allied leaders mark Russia’s Victory Day at Moscow parade

3 weeks ago
Experience Seamless Connectivity with Silknet eSIM in Georgia

Experience Seamless Connectivity with Silknet eSIM in Georgia

11 months ago
Champion Karateka Luka Khvedeliani on the Benefits of Georgian Karate for Georgia’s Youth

Georgia to Celebrate First Europe Day with European Union Candidate Status

1 year ago
Georgian Foreign Minister Holds Farewell Meeting with French Ambassador to Georgia

Georgian Foreign Minister Holds Farewell Meeting with French Ambassador to Georgia

3 years ago
Natia Mezvrishvili on Dealing with 2 Political Giants

Natia Mezvrishvili on Dealing with 2 Political Giants

3 years ago
Giorgi Gakharia: We were Told We Were Capable of Nothing – It’s All a Lie and Ukraine is a Great Example of This

Giorgi Gakharia: We were Told We Were Capable of Nothing – It’s All a Lie and Ukraine is a Great Example of This

3 years ago
GT Interview with Giorgi Badridze

GT Interview with Giorgi Badridze

3 years ago
Russo-Ukrainian War and Georgia – Analysis from security expert Kakha Kemoklidze

Russo-Ukrainian War and Georgia – Analysis from security expert Kakha Kemoklidze

3 years ago

Navigation

  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • International
  • Where.ge
  • Newspaper
  • Magazine
  • GEO
  • OP-ED
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Advertising
    • Subscription
  • Contact

Highlights

MIA: Nika Melia detained on administrative charges

Ukraine Latest: Drones, Drills, and Diplomacy

British Journalist Barred from Georgia after Investigating Links to Sanctioned Russian Oligarch

The Blooming Electric Now: How DOCA Film Club’s ‘New Georgian Films’ Program Captures a Nation Mid-Transformation

ZEG Festival returns to Tbilisi with future-focused storytelling

Giorgi Bachiashvili: Ivanishvili’s orders led to my kidnapping and 2 days blindfolded

Trending

Experience Seamless Connectivity with Silknet eSIM in Georgia
Business & Economy

Experience Seamless Connectivity with Silknet eSIM in Georgia

by Georgia Today
June 26, 2024

Why Silknet's eSIM could be your top choice in Georgia  Since its introduction, eSIM technology has become...

Photo by the author

Virtuosity and Versatility: Marc-André Hamelin Opens Tbilisi Piano Festival 2024

May 30, 2024
  • Where.ge
  • Newspaper
  • GEO
  • Magazine
  • Old Website

2000-2024 © Georgia Today

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business & Economy
  • Social & Society
  • Sports
  • Culture
  • International
  • Where.ge
  • Newspaper
  • Magazine
  • GEO
  • OP-ED
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Team
    • Advertising
    • Subscription
  • Contact

2000-2024 © Georgia Today