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Visa Data Shows Boost in Spend from Asia Pacific at Olympic Games Paris 2024

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Biggest spend came from Australia, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Mainland China and Singapore cardholders[1]Significant increase in spending from Visa cardholders in many areas of commerce including apparel, retail goods, department stores, restaurants, and in contactless purchasesIncrease in travellers to neighbouring Greece, Italy and Switzerland

SINGAPORE, Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Visa, the Official Payment Technology Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, today shared new data revealing consumer spending patterns from Mainland China, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore.

The world leader in digital payments has identified the positive impact that the Olympic Games Paris 2024 is having in boosting commerce in France and across Europe. Top spending patterns[2] by Visa cardholders from Asia Pacific include:

Asia Pacific cardholders spent more in France than in the previous year[3], with Australia recording over 100% increase in their spending, followed by Mainland China (over 80%) and Hong Kong SAR (over 70%)Within France, the biggest share of daily spend[4] comes from Hong Kong SAR (over US$230) Singapore (over US$160), Mainland China (over US$140)Asia Pacific cardholders[5] made twice the number of contactless purchases compared to the previous year’s averageOver 80% of total visitors used Contactless as the payment method[6]Over 30% of cardholders conducted their first international purchase in the last 12 months during their tripFivefold increase in spending on SMB merchants[7] compared to the previous year’s averageOver 50% of spend in shopping, lodging and dining (apparel & accessories, retail goods, department stores and restaurants)Increased spending beyond France in other parts of Europe, including Greece (over 250%), Italy (over 100%) and Spain (over 90%) 

Top Asia Pacific Travel Patterns

France saw an increase of over 70% in number of Asia Pacific travellers during the Olympic Games Paris 2024, with over 60% of total visitors travelling to Paris[8]Other Olympic Games Paris 2024 host cities also benefitted from the Olympic Games with 10% of total visitors travelling to Nice, 5% to Marseille, and 4% to LyonTravel beyond France to other parts of Europe, including Greece (over 170%), Italy (over 80%) and Switzerland (over 60%) 

“The Olympic Games Paris 2024 has not only showcased athletic excellence but also demonstrated the power of global events to drive economic growth and digitalisation especially for small and medium businesses,” said Prateek Sanghi, Head of Visa Consulting and Analytics, Asia Pacific. “What’s really exciting is how contactless payments have doubled during the Olympics — a sign that people are embracing new ways to pay with ease, speed and convenience. We’re seeing the future of payments unfold in real time, uplifting everyone from local businesses in Paris to tourists from across Asia Pacific.”

Prior Visa data from the Olympic Games Paris 2024 revealed significant growth in international visitorship and spending. U.S. cardholders led with a 72% year-on-year increase, followed by Latin America (+62%) and Asia Pacific (+57%). This boost extended beyond Paris to other Olympic host cities. Similarly, Asia Pacific visitors to France increased by over 70%, with a rise of over 80% in overall tourism spend. These figures underscore the Games’ potential to stimulate host-country economies, aligning with Visa’s purpose to uplift everyone everywhere.

Visa’s responsibility to provide payment systems for the Olympic and Paralympic Games requires a robust and venue-specific plan combined with large-scale operations. Working hand-in-hand with the Organising Committee for the last three years, Visa has built a custom payment network across Paris and beyond, which ensures Visa contactless payments are accepted at 3,500 points of sale across 32 Olympic venues and 16 Paralympic venues.

About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com

Disclaimer:
Case studies, statistics, research and recommendations are provided “AS IS” and intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for operational, marketing, legal, technical, tax, financial or other advice. Visa Inc. does not make any warranty or representation as to the completeness or accuracy of the Information within this document, nor assume any liability or responsibility that may result from reliance on such Information. The Information contained herein is not intended as legal advice, and readers are encouraged to seek the advice of a competent legal professional where such advice is required.

[1] Based on Visanet data: Cardholders from these five countries and territories form the highest number of Olympic ticket buyers from the Asia Pacific region.

[2] Figures compare the period from 1 July to 11 August 2024 with monthly average of last 12 months.

[3] Figures compare the period between 1 July to 11 August 2024 and the monthly average spends (per cardholder, by market) between of last 12 months, VisaNet.

[4] Figures describe in-person transactions in France between 1 July to 11 August 2024, VisaNet.

[5] Cross-border visitors to France: (1) international cardholders, and (2) have made CP International transactions in France; time period: 1 July to 11 August 2024.

[6] In-person contactless transactions in France between 1 July to 11 August 2024, VisaNet.

[7] AP Visa cardholders and spend increase in France comparing 1 July to 11 August 2024 and last 12 months’ average.

[8] Figures describe the number of Asia Pacific Visa cardholders in France between 2024-07-01 to 2024-08-11, VisaNet

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte. Ltd

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Huawei Cloud in France: Building an AI-Native Cloud to Amplify Intelligence on the Tech Stage

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PARIS, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — HUAWEI CONNECT 2024 PARIS commenced today, featuring the first Huawei Cloud Summit France. Huawei Cloud is building an AI-native cloud through systematic innovation and service reshaping. Moving forward, Huawei Cloud will continue to drive innovation in both the “AI for Cloud” and “Cloud for AI” directions, accelerating the intelligent transformation across industries in France.

Jacqueline Shi, President of Huawei Cloud Global Marketing and Sales Service, delivered a welcome speech in her digital presence built using Huawei Cloud MetaStudio. She stated, “Innovation is the heart of our success, our competitiveness, and our growth. That’s why we invest heavily in R&D to bring you the most secure and reliable cloud services possible, including cloud native, AI, and big data. In Europe, Huawei Cloud has collaborated with over 500 local partners to deliver a wide range of industry-specific solutions and proven expertise, enabling European businesses to expedite their cloud adoption, leverage global resources, and achieve leapfrog growth.”

In his keynote speech, William Dong, President of Huawei Cloud Marketing, highlighted the importance of AI in building economic moats. To this end, Huawei Cloud launches Pangu models to enable intelligent upgrades across industries, with over 400 use cases in 30 industries now benefiting from Huawei Cloud’s AI-native cloud infrastructure that extends cutting-edge technologies and premium experiences to European customers. On the tech stage, Huawei Cloud is set to amplify intelligence.

Huawei Cloud’s AI-native strategy has been a cornerstone of the company’s innovation. This strategy is twofold: AI for Cloud and Cloud for AI, marking significant advancements in Huawei Cloud’s capabilities. “AI for Cloud” means integrating Pangu models with cloud services for product R&D, data governance, security, and O&M to make them more intelligent and efficient.

With full-stack systemic innovations, “Cloud for AI” covers data centers, cloud platform architectures, and infrastructure services, enabling efficient and high-performance data preparation, training, inference, and application of foundation models. The distributed cloud database GaussDB features high performance, high intelligence, and easy migration. Huawei Cloud Stack 8.5 provides more than 120 locally deployed cloud services and 50 industry-specific solutions, building the optimal hybrid cloud for intelligent transformation.

At this summit, Huawei Cloud officially released the Flexus cloud services for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in France. Flexus feature flexible specifications, AI-driven high speed, 6x burst speed, compute hot upgrade, and ultimate experience.

Presently, Huawei Cloud has more than 500 customers, partners, and developers in France. Song Wanying, President of Huawei Cloud France, shared insights on fostering business growth through cloud innovation and introduced new media & entertainment, e-commerce, and retail solutions for the French market, furthering intelligent initiatives.

Huawei Cloud has upgraded media services in a 3E approach: efficiency, experience, and evolution. For instance, AIGC for virtual humans can significantly reduce the time required for short video production from days to mere minutes. In terms of experience, Huawei Cloud leverages its self-developed RTP protocol to minimize latency to 500 ms and reduce frame freezing to 10%. For business model evolution, Huawei Cloud offers virtual human technology to facilitate efficient video production, leading to new business opportunities and growth.

In retail and e-commerce, Huawei Cloud has developed the B.R.A.N.D. model to assist retailers in driving innovation and growth. Through professional services, deterministic operations, security, reliability, and 16 sub-scenario solutions, B.R.A.N.D. enables retailers to build agile, efficient, and secure business systems.

In terms of ecosystem expansion, Huawei Cloud has partnered with Station F, the world’s largest startup incubator, to launch a sustainability-themed incubation program. This program aims to provide comprehensive support for startups, including cloud resources, investment opportunities, and dedicated office spaces. Additionally, Huawei Cloud and 20 ecosystem partners have unveiled the Industry Partner Innovation Program at the summit.

This two-day event features a packed agenda, including the partner forum and the Cloud Native Elite Club (CNEC) roundtable. At this year’s HUAWEI CONNECT Europe, CNEC returned to Europe and invited its first members to join this technical community built for European technology pioneers.

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ALBERT GAHFI, NEWCO CAPITAL GROUP CEO, NOMINATED FOR THE U.S. FINTECH AWARDS’ INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

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NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NewCo Capital Group is proud to announce that Albert Gahfi, CEO of NewCo Capital Group and Co-Founder and Director of Bizcap, has been nominated for the prestigious Innovator of the Year Award by the U.S. FinTech Awards. This recognition highlights Albert’s groundbreaking contributions to the FinTech sector and his dedication to founding companies that empower small businesses with forward-thinking capital solutions.

We are focused on what’s next—continuing to build the tools and services that will drive the future of FinTech

As a proven enterprise-building founder and CEO, Albert co-founded Kings Cash Group and oversaw its merger with a large FinTech consortium that included an SEC-registered fund. As the Co-Founder and CEO of NewCo Capital Group, Capytal.com, and NewCo Canada, as well as the co-founder of Melbourne-based BizCap, Albert’s global expansion strategy has led to the opening of offices in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and a recently announced strategic initiative in Asia via Singapore.

The nomination for Innovator of the Year underscores NewCo’s commitment to reshaping how small-to-medium businesses and enterprise companies access financing. Since its founding, NewCo has remained at the forefront of Specialty Finance within the FinTech sector, continually creating custom capital solutions that leverage advanced technology, nuanced underwriting, and a deep understanding of client needs.

Bruce Gurvitsch, Chief Revenue Officer for NewCo Capital Group and Capytal.com, commended the nomination, stating, “Albert’s nomination for Innovator of the Year reflects his unwavering pursuit of excellence—a drive that defines our mission at NewCo. We’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in FinTech, ensuring that SMBs have access to the capital they need for growth, job creation, and long-term success.”

NewCo and its affiliate companies have transformed traditional financing models, making it easier, faster, and more efficient for businesses to secure funding. With over $1.8 billion deployed across 40,000+ businesses globally, NewCo continues to lead the charge in specialized financing and working capital.

Reflecting on the nomination, Gahfi remarked, ‘This recognition from the U.S. FinTech Awards validates our efforts and inspires us to continue delivering the most innovative solutions to the market.’ He emphasized NewCo’s long-term vision, adding, ‘We are focused on what’s next—continuing to build the tools and services that will drive the future of FinTech. Our mission has always been to empower small businesses globally.’

For more information about NewCo Capital Group, visit www.NewCoCapitalGroup.com or email Info@NewCoCapitalGroup.com.

About NewCo Capital Group & Capytal.com

Founded in 2020, NewCo Capital Group and its affiliate companies empower SMBs globally with fast, accessible financing and funding. The companies have successfully deployed $1.8 billion to over 40,000 SMBs while maintaining a 4.9/5 Trustpilot rating.

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SOURCE NewCo Capital Group

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Enrollsy Unveils Brand Refresh and New Website to Enhance Enrollment Experience for Schools, Camps, Nonprofits, and More

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LEHI, Utah, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Enrollsy, the platform dedicated to making enrollment simple and accessible for organizations of all sizes, is thrilled to announce its brand refresh and launch of a new website at www.enrollsy.com. With a renewed focus on simplifying enrollment processes and delivering unparalleled support, Enrollsy’s brand refresh reinforces its commitment to empowering non-technical professionals with a seamless, user-friendly experience.

Enrollsy is online enrollment software made easy.

The name “Enrollsy” reflects the platform’s mission: combining “enroll” and “easy” to describe a solution that effortlessly manages the enrollment process—from sign-up to payments and communications—without requiring technical expertise or IT support. Enrollsy’s customizable platform is designed to solve enrollment challenges and make life easier for administrators everywhere.

Empowering Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Values

Driven by a purpose to create an exceptional experience from the first interaction to ongoing support, Enrollsy ensures every aspect of its service is tailored to customer needs. Enrollsy’s mission—to provide an amazing enrollment experience to 10 million people in a single year—drives the platform to innovate, simplify, and perfect enrollment solutions for organizations managing data, payments, and communications.

Enrollsy envisions a world where education, enrichment, and connection drive better outcomes, helping organizations fulfill their missions. As a trusted partner, Enrollsy shares its values with customers by prioritizing consistency, honoring commitments, and maintaining clear, actionable communication.

Unmatched Customer Experiences

Enrollsy’s brand refresh also highlights its commitment to delivering value through real-life customer success stories. Elizabeth Fizer, owner of Fizer Fine Art, shares, “Enrollsy transformed our registration process from an absolute nightmare to easily manageable. Their unmatched customer service and ability to tailor the software to meet our specific needs allowed us to offer flexible schedules and simplified invoicing—enabling me to focus on my family during a busy registration period. Parents found it easy and intuitive, which only enhanced our customer experience.”

Similarly, Matthew Vinson from Common Ground on the Hill, a nonprofit, noted, “Enrollsy exceeded our expectations by listening to our unique needs and creating a system that integrates with our existing applications seamlessly. They understood our operations and provided features we needed, making the registration process efficient and stress-free.”

Visit the New Enrollsy Website

Enrollsy’s reimagined website offers a refreshed look at how the platform simplifies enrollment, billing, and communication for education, enrichment, and nonprofit organizations across the U.S., Australia, and Canada. Visitors are invited to explore www.enrollsy.com to discover how Enrollsy’s solutions are transforming the enrollment experience and simplifying administrative processes.

About Enrollsy Enrollsy provides a complete, easy-to-use solution for managing enrollments, payments, and participant communications. Designed for non-technical professionals, Enrollsy’s mission is to simplify enrollment for organizations while delivering unmatched support and flexibility. Visit www.enrollsy.com to learn more about how Enrollsy is shaping the future of enrollment.

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SOURCE Enrollsy, Inc.

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