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Does Visa Inc. support Israel?

Support documentedupdated 2020-10

Yes — Visa Inc. has documented support for Israel on record. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Banks & financial companies · Tech companies · Companies that support Israel

Background

Visa's documented ties to Israel are commercial and operational: a Tel Aviv innovation studio open since 2018 and partnerships with Israeli fintech startups. An earlier Herzliya fintech hub, "Visa Europe Collab" (2015), was launched by Visa Europe, then a separate company that Visa Inc. acquired in 2016. Despite viral social-media posts claiming Visa "donated to Israel" after October 7, 2023, no verified record of a Visa Inc. corporate donation, employee-match program or public statement in support of Israel's war effort was found in company press releases or news coverage — Visa is notably absent from contemporaneous lists of corporate donors compiled by Israeli and US business media.

Visa (official Israel site — innovation studio) Times of Israel (Visa Europe Collab, 2015) Ynet News (corporate donor round-up, Oct 2023 — Visa absent) Calcalist / CTech (corporate support round-up, Oct 2023 — Visa absent)

Timeline of documented support

2018201920202018-02 — Operations in Israel: Israel operations (Innovation Studio Tel Aviv)Operations in Israel2018-022019-09 — Partnership: ChargeAfter, Mesh Payments, Zooz (PayU) — Israeli fintech companiesPartnership2019-092020-10 — Partnership: GetHere, Spendl, Pinch, GoGo Getter — Israeli startupsPartnership2020-10

Documented support

TypeDateAmountRecipientSources
Operations in Israel2018-02—Israel operations (Innovation Studio Tel Aviv)
Opened its Innovation Studio Tel Aviv on February 13, 2018 — a 500-square-meter space at 22 Rothschild Boulevard and the tenth studio in Visa's global innovation network — built, in Visa's words, "to foster collaboration between Visa and the Israeli fintech ecosystem." The studio remains in operation and connects Israeli startups to Visa's clients and programs.
Partnership2019-09—ChargeAfter, Mesh Payments, Zooz (PayU) — Israeli fintech companies
Visa's Tel Aviv innovation studio announced commercial partnerships with three Israeli fintech firms — ChargeAfter (point-of-sale financing), Mesh Payments (B2B cross-border payments) and Zooz by PayU (online payment routing) — to develop payment solutions for the retail and B2B sectors. The studio head said its focus is "investments and creating business partnerships with Israeli fintech and paytech companies."
Partnership2020-10—GetHere, Spendl, Pinch, GoGo Getter — Israeli startups
Four more Israeli startups joined the Visa Innovation Studio in Tel Aviv to integrate their payment products — contactless hospitality ordering (GetHere), crypto payments over the Visa network (Spendl), creator-supporting debit cards (Pinch) and childcare financing (GoGo Getter) — with Visa's merchant and banking network.

Frequently asked questions

Did Visa Inc. donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of cash donations, but Visa Inc. has documented support of other kinds (Operations in Israel, Partnership). See the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 11 distinct sources are cited for Visa Inc.. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2020-10

Companies with documented support