Visa Sponsors For The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Visa, the official sponsor and exclusive payment card for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is helping China speed up its process of building a world-class payment infrastructure. Visa International and its Chinese member banks have increased the number of merchant outlets that accept payment cards in China by 60 percent compared with a year earlier.

 

Between June 2006 and June 2007, Visa has seen to the installation of 25,000 more ATMs and 76,000 more merchant locations - equating to an average of more than 210 new Visa merchants and 68 ATMs per day.  In helping to lay the groundwork in the lead up to the Games, Visa aims to help China prepare for the expected influx of international visitors next year who will want to purchase goods and services with their payment card with the same convenience and sense of security that they have at home.

As of June 2007, more than 206,000 merchant outlets and almost 69,000 ATMs in China accept international Visa payment cards. According to Visa’s merchant expansion plan, another 10,000 merchants in Beijing are expected to be added to the list of those accepting international cards by the end of 2008.