Visa Supports: Cash Flow and Business Resilience With 'The Visa and Main' Launch

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Visa, a global payments network, is moving beyond card transactions into tools that support small business operations and access to funding. The "Visa & Main" launch and the US$100 million working capital facility with Lendistry focus on practical needs such as cash flow and business resilience, areas many founders cite as ongoing pressure points.

In addition, Visa has entered a milestone partnership with UnionPay International to extend Visa Direct reach into Chinese Mainland.

See how all this fits in with the Visa narrative.

Note:  The Global Small Business Blog has been in operation since 2004 and is ranked number one in the world for entrepreneurs and small businesses interested in going global.  As of February 1, 2026, we have more than 900,000 readers on a monthly basis.

The Shifting Global Small Business Mindset

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VISA launched its 7th edition of its Global Back to Business Study, which found that a majority of surveyed small and micro businesses (SMBs) plan to prioritize cross-border sales as they look to scale beyond Main Street and High Street to new geographies.  

The survey focuses on four key themes, one being the shifting global small business mindset, which is moving from survival mode to growth mode.  

Today in Global Small Business: Remembering Americans Who Have Served

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What's affecting me, my clients, my colleagues and other global small business owners:

• Think of Memorial Day not as happy but reflective ... remembering and honoring Americans who have served and thinking about all the families who have sacrificed while their loved ones are deployed. 
• Quote of the week: “Memorial Day isn't just about honoring veterans, its honoring those who lost their lives. Veterans had the fortune of coming home. For us, that's a reminder of when we come home we still have a responsibility to serve. It's a continuation of service that honors our country and those who fell defending it. – Pete Hegseth
• Who knew?  Global helium shortage impacts local small business.
• For a second year in a row, Visa and the U.S. Small Business Administration teamed up to host a hackathon to kick off #SmallBusinessWeek, that took place May 5-11.  They awarded $60K in cash prizes.
• Will artificial intelligence enhance or hack humanity?
• Will 5G technology revolutionize SMEs in India?

New Lifeline to Women Entrepreneurs

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A global initiative to support women entrepreneurs with financial management resources and mentorship opportunities, called She's Next, has been launched by Visa.  This initiative is in addition to an already existing and independent nonprofit called wegg®, which helps women entrepreneurs and business owners go global.

The purpose of the She’s Next, Empowered by Visa is to encourage women small-business owners as they build, sustain and advance their businesses, the company said. 

She's Next will be supported by the Female Founder Collective, a network of women-led businesses founded in 2018 by fashion designer and entrepreneur Rebecca Minkoff, co-founder and creative director of the Rebecca Minkoff company.

Learn more about how Visa and Rebecca Minkoff have partnered to support women entrepreneurs.

Global Small Business Owners Must be Flexible and Adaptable

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Flexibility and adaptability are characteristics Janet Zablock often observed in the small business owners she served as former head of global small business for Visa. It also described her own career, one that required her to reinvent herself several times.

What she learned offers lessons both for those trying to grow a global business, as well as those building their careers.

Read more about how Zablock went from shampooing hair to running small business for Visa.

Secure Cash From Foreigners to Grow Your Business

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Thanks to America’s immigrant investor program known as the EB-5 visa, capital investment by foreigners is rapidly growing.  What does that mean?

The visa gives foreigners who invest [at] least $500,000 in the US a two-year green card (their families too) and the potential for a permanent green card if their project succeeds in creating American jobs.

Is the EB-5 visa filling a gap for global small businesses? And which country is the dominant force with investments (according to the Brookings Institution and Rockefeller Foundation, there are five top countries)?

To learn more, read:  Forget banks - US small businesses are tapping wealthy Chinese investors for loans

Share Your Export Success Story

Deadline extended to:  September 30, 2011

Go World

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Visa, Inc., one of the Olympic Games' biggest sponsors, is taking a feel good advertising approach that focuses on the international goodwill that springs from the Games.

The first TV spot, called "Come Together," (sounds like the Obama camp might be helping out!) shows fans from all over the world cheering during past Olympic Games.

Go world!