Interswitch launches verve global card

Kenneth Afor with Agency report

Nigeria’s foremost online payment outfit, Interswitch , has launched a verve global card which will be accepted in over 190 countries.

The Verve card is a Nigerian pan-African multinational payment card owned by Interswitch. It has been in existence since 2008 but only issued to local customers by commercial banks in the country to carry out local financial transactions and across the African markets.

Speaking at the launch in New York where the first the card’s first international transaction was made, Mitchell Elegbe, managing director, Interswitch said that Interswitch’s partnership with Discover Global Network is a move to show the commitment of Verve in catering for its increasing global customers’ payment and products and solutions.

Elegbe explained that holders of the Verve Global Card could now make transactions with the card outside Africa and in countries where Discover Dinner Club International and Pulse and other affiliate cards are accepted in the accepted countries.

He said, “Verve Global Card also delivers additional benefits to cardholders including broad reward and loyalty schemes; benefits that are available both locally and internationally. The agreement with Discover Global Network will enable Verve to compete with other global card offerings, providing cardholders with an enhanced customer experience when transacting globally outside Nigeria. Creating a solution that facilitates international payments for our consumers will help to eliminate existing barriers and simplify the process when transacting abroad.”

Ricardo Leite, senior vice president of international markets at Discover, said, “It is important to us that we are working with groups around the world to extend acceptance for their cardholders. At Discover, we recognize the importance of being able to use your card of choice no matter where you are traveling.”

Mike Ogbalu, Verve International divisional chief executive officer, said that the launch of Verve Global Card will lessen the challenges many Nigerians who travel abroad are facing when carrying out transactions.

Ogbalu said, “Our partnership with Discover Global Network will help us to optimize the overall experience of every Verve Global cardholder by guaranteeing consistent and efficient payment solutions regardless of where they are in the world. “As the first African card scheme to be recognized as a valid, globally accepted e-payment gateway, we have built a world-class value chain ecosystem that benefits from the services that we provide.”