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• SHALVA PAPUASHVILI: THE STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THESE TWO COUNTRIES SERVES AS A CORNERSTONE FOR ENSURING THE SECURITY OF THE CAUCASUS REGION

  "Cooperation between Georgia and Azerbaijan is crucial for maintaining regional peace and stability. The strong partnership between these two countries serves as a cornerstone for ensuring the security of the Caucasus region”, - the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, H.E. Shalva Papuashvili stated at the reception dedicated to the 105th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
  The Speaker dwelt on the improvement of the security environment in the region.

  According to him, the armed forces are the pride and strength of the country.

  "We are fully committed to promoting the enhancement of the security environment in our region. On this momentous day, I want to emphasize the significance of the armed forces in not only safeguarding our nations but also ensuring the peaceful coexistence of our people. The armed forces are a source of pride and strength for our country. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Azerbaijan on Independence Day and Armed Forces Day, and I wish them peace, success, and prosperity. May the armed forces of Azerbaijan serve their nation with honor and dignity", - Shalva Papuashvili stated.

• Visa names Tarek Abdalla as Chief Marketing Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa

  Tbilisi, Georgia, May 16th, 2023: Visa announced today the appointment of Tarek Abdalla as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA). He started his position on May 2nd.

  Based in Dubai and reporting to Frank Cooper III, Visa’s global Chief Marketing Officer, Tarek will help Visa expand and grow its presence across the CEMEA region, driving demand for Visa’s products, services, and solutions, amplifying Visa’s purpose through campaigns and activations and delivering value through our global sponsorships.

  “Tarek joins at an exciting time when clients have never been more engaged and connected with Visa as a brand and an essential service provider that both enables and empowers their everyday lives and businesses” said Andrew Torre, Regional President CEMEA, Visa.

  Tarek brings Visa a wealth of industry experience gained over more than two decades, having worked previously as General Manager for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia at TikTok, where he successfully led teams in nine regional offices, delivering user growth, profitability, and commercialization targets for the platform through a dynamic mix of content strategy, marketing, and partnerships.

  Prior to this, Tarek spent a decade with Google, rising to the role of Regional Marketing Director, leading marketing teams across emerging markets in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

  “I’m excited to be joining Visa, the world leader in digital payments and one of the most trusted brands” said Tarek, “I look forward bringing Visa’s purpose to life, uplifting everyone everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid”.

  Tarek holds an MBA from Sheffield Business School, a postgraduate diploma from the International Advertising Association, and a bachelor’s degree with honors from the American University in Cairo. Married with two children, Tarek is an avid reader, keen traveler and a fan of motorsports.

   

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  About Visa Inc.

  Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments 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.ge

• Visa and Emerging Europe launch the She’s Next digital community platform for female entrepreneurs

  Functioning as a professional social network, the digital platform will unite women leaders from Georgia and the whole region of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus and provide them with tools for networking, exchanging experiences, and international business expansion.

  Tbilisi, 27 April, 2023  - Visa announced the launch of the She’s Next digital community platform for female entrepreneurs from Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus created in partnership with Emerging Europe, a prominent growth hub with thorough expertise in the region. The website launch was announced in Georgia and in this regard, Visa organized an informal meeting with Georgian women entrepreneurs and Visa partners.

  At the meeting Visa team in Georgia introduced the opportunities and characteristics of the platform as it is intended to connect businesswomen from various countries and facilitate networking, exchanging experiences, and international business expansion.

  “The She’s Next Empowered by Visa initiative is not only about empowerment but about creating a community of motivated and aspiring women,” commented Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager for the Caucasus. “Hosting events dedicated to female entrepreneurship, we noticed an interesting detail: She’s Next alumni from different countries tended to connect based on shared interests and values. The latest She’s Next research results in Georgia revealed that 82% of Georgian SMBs are eager to join the international community of entrepreneurs. So, we created it for them to share best practices, learn from each other, and grow as leaders. I believe the She’s Next digital community platform will be a real game-changer for all businesswomen from Georgia and the whole region.”

  The digital platform includes all functions of a professional social network—a newsfeed, interest groups, and tools for posting and messaging—and will allow female leaders and entrepreneurs to communicate, search for business contacts, suppliers, or investors, and develop their personal brand. All potential platform users will undergo a verification process upon signing up to prevent fraud and ensure they are real persons and reliable partners for cooperation.

  The She’s Next digital community platform is open to everyone interested in entrepreneurship, from those with a business idea but no existing business to startup owners and women with well-established enterprises. To learn more and join, please visit https://shesnext.emergingeurope.org/.

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  About Visa

  Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments 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.ge

• Applications open in Georgia for Visa Everywhere Initiative, a global innovation competition for fintech startups

  • Visa Everywhere Initiative tasks startups with solving today’s most pressing payments and commerce challenges, with monetary prizes, global exposure, and validation from one of the world’s most trusted brands

  Georgia, 20 April 2023: Applications are now open in Georgia for the 2023 edition of the Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI), a global open innovation competition that sees startups pitch their innovative solutions to solve tomorrow’s payment and commerce challenges.

  In addition to monetary prizes, VEI winners gain access and exposure to Visa’s vast networks of partners in the banking, merchant, VC, and government sectors. The winners also benefit from receiving recognition from one of the world’s most trusted and valuable brands.

  The Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) finals will be livestreamed on July 27 on TechCrunch – a leading online publisher focused on the tech industry and the startup ecosystem. The startup that wins at the CEMEA Regionals will participate in the global finale, which will be held on September 19 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco.

  This year, Visa's VEI CEMEA is set to introduce for the first time an award in the Risk and Security domain - Fintechs Innovating in Risk Excellence, or ‘FIIRE’, Award. Through this Special Edition, Visa in partnership with Emirates NBD are scouting for global Fintech players across fraud management, cybersecurity, and credit risk, among others. Following a joint review by Visa and Emirates NBD representatives, the winning Fintech will receive a $25,000 prize and an opportunity to work with Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region.

  “The Visa Everywhere Initiative is a platform that empowers fintechs and entrepreneurs to showcase the most ground-breaking, impactful solutions in the world of payments and commerce,” said Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager for the Caucasus “Through their technology-driven, innovative solutions, fintechs have the potential to offer broad social benefits to the markets they operate in – particularly when it comes to providing financial services to those who have traditionally been underserved. At Visa, we believe access to the digital economy drives equitable, inclusive growth, and VEI is an important means of supporting the innovators playing a leading role in this space.”

  Since its launch in 2015, VEI has helped startups representing more than 100 countries collectively raise more than $16 billion USD in funding, with a network that includes nearly 12,000 startups from across the globe. Last year, VEI awarded more than $530,000 USD in prize money over the course of the competition, which saw over 4,000 startups participate from five regions. VEI 2022 saw Nigeria’s ThriveAgric take home the VEI Global grand prize of $100,000 USD. ThriveAgric also won the $20,000 USD Visa Direct prize. In 2021, PAYZE of Georgia became the winner for the CEMEA region, for representing the best innovative payment and commerce solutions to solve the payment challenges of tomorrow.

  VEI is seeking innovative and ambitious entrepreneurs who are uplifting communities by solving payment and commerce challenges faced by businesses of all sizes and sectors, including:

  What we are looking for

  Enablers of digital services and digital issuers

  • Blockchain and cryptocurrency
  • Crowdfunding
  • Banking-as-a-Service
  • BIN sponsors
  • Issuer/processors
  • Program managers

  Digital issuance

  • Blockchain and cryptocurrency
  • Alternative lending
  • Personal financial management
  • Money transfer and remittance
  • Digital banking (aka neo banks)
  • Digital wallets, peer-to-peer (P2P) and transfers
  • Employee benefits
  • Payables
  • Corporate cards (aka expense management)

  Value-add for merchants and/or consumers in the finance space

  • Data and analytics
  • ID, authentication and security
  • InsurTech
  • Loyalty
  • Merchant services and tools
  • Process and payment infrastructure
  • Retail technology
  • Other

  Small- and medium-sized business recovery

  • Money movement (disbursements, Intra-account, P2P vendor and payments)
  • Acceptance (e-commerce and mobile acceptance)
  • Risk management (chargebacks, etc.)
  • Brand management (Community building, etc.)
  • Other

  New categories for 2023:

  • Sustainable fintechs
  • Risk
  • Urban mobility

  This year’s prizes

  • VEI CEMEA Regionals 1^st place: $20,000
  • VEI CEMEA Regionals Audience Favorites: $10,000
  • VEI CEMEA Regionals Risk Winner: $25,000

  Global Finals awards and cash prizes

  • VEI Global Overall Winner: $50,000 USD
  • VEI Global Audience Favorite: $10,000 USD
  • VEI Global – Visa Direct: $10,000 USD
  • Additionally, all 5 finalists will be able to exhibit their companies at the TechCrunch Disrupt in a branded pavilion in the Expo Hall.

   

  The overall winner and the Visa Direct winner are also eligible to win the Audience Favorite prize.

  The application deadline for VEI Georgia is May 14^th.

  For more information about VEI, please visit our website.  

   

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  About Visa

  Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments 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.ge

• Explore the Wonders of Georgia: From Iconic Sights to Authentic Georgian Food in Tbilisi

  Georgia, a country with a rich history and stunning landscapes, is a hidden gem in the Caucasus region. From its picturesque landscapes to its vibrant culture, Georgia offers a plethora of sights to explore. And when it comes to indulging in the local cuisine, Tbilisi, the capital city, is a food lover's paradise. With its diverse range of restaurants, Tbilisi offers a unique blend of Georgian food, including iconic dishes like Shkmeruli and Ojakhuri.

  While Tbilisi is known for its historic landmarks and breathtaking views, its food scene is equally mesmerizing. The city is dotted with numerous restaurants that serve authentic Georgian food, making it a haven for foodies. From cozy traditional eateries to trendy modern restaurants, Tbilisi has something for everyone.

  One of the must-try dishes in Georgian cuisine is Shkmeruli, a delicious chicken dish cooked in a creamy garlic sauce. The tender and juicy chicken is cooked to perfection and served with a generous amount of creamy garlic sauce, making it a true gastronomic delight. Ojakhuri, another popular Georgian dish, is a hearty meat dish made with pork or beef, slow-cooked with onions and served with crispy potatoes. Both Shkmeruli and Ojakhuri are beloved by locals and visitors alike, and tasting them in their place of origin is an experience not to be missed.

  When it comes to SEO, restaurants in Tbilisi understand the importance of using local keywords to attract visitors who are searching for authentic Georgian food. They take pride in using fresh and locally sourced ingredients, traditional cooking techniques, and innovative presentation to create a memorable dining experience.

  Apart from the gastronomic delights, Georgia is also known for its stunning sights. The country boasts of ancient fortresses, picturesque vineyards, and breathtaking mountain landscapes that are sure to leave you in awe. From the ancient cave city of Uplistsikhe to the serene beauty of Kazbegi, Georgia offers a treasure trove of sights to explore.

  In Tbilisi, the old town is a must-visit with its narrow cobblestone streets, historic buildings, and vibrant markets. The Narikala Fortress, perched atop a hill, offers panoramic views of the city and the Mtkvari River. The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, also known as Sameba, is a majestic masterpiece of modern Georgian architecture that is worth admiring. The Bridge of Peace, a contemporary pedestrian bridge with its unique design, is another popular landmark in the city.

  Exploring the sights of Georgia can work up an appetite, and that's where the local restaurants in Tbilisi come to the rescue. After a day of sightseeing, you can indulge in the rich flavors of Georgian cuisine, including the famous Shkmeruli and Ojakhuri dishes, at the best restaurant in Tbilisi, Bread&Wine.

  In conclusion, Georgia offers a unique blend of breathtaking sights and delectable cuisine that is sure to captivate any traveler. Tbilisi, with its iconic landmarks and diverse food scene, is a destination that should not be missed. Whether you're exploring ancient fortresses, admiring modern architecture, or indulging in authentic Georgian food, Tbilisi has it all. So, embark on a journey to Georgia and immerse yourself in the wonders of this beautiful country, from its iconic sights to its delicious cuisine!