Through the Visa Small Big Business platform, self-employed individuals (PFA) benefit for the first time from discounts on accounting and business management services, as well as medical services.
Financial education and strengthening the digital skills of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and consumers are among Visa’s global priorities. Visa has committed to supporting over eight million SMEs in Europe by helping them develop their digital capabilities, offering various payment options that enhance customer experience, and enabling small businesses to reach more customers—thus facilitating their growth and integration into the new digital economy.
To support one of the most dynamic business segments—the self-employed (PFA) sector—Visa has identified some of their most pressing needs in order to provide them with the digital tools necessary for business growth and development.
As the simplest form of commercial entity, PFAs are the preferred business structure for small entrepreneurs, with the number of newly established entities increasing significantly each year. In the first eight months of 2023 alone, 26,865 PFAs were registered—nearly 30% more than in the same period of 2022.
According to a recent Visa study on SMEs’ needs, the most useful facilities identified by PFAs in Romania include fuel cards (73% of respondents), real-time payments (72%), virtual cards (71%), e-invoicing services (68%), online accounting services (65%), and medical services (64%). The two most uniquely valued benefits, as identified by most PFAs, were e-invoicing services and online accounting services. Unique benefits are considered special and distinct from those accessible to small companies in general.
To meet these needs and support PFAs in their growth through digitalization, Visa has launched a package of benefits in Romania associated with business cards, exclusively targeting this segment. These benefits are provided in collaboration with three partners that develop services dedicated to SMEs in general or PFAs specifically:
- Smartbill – one of the most well-known and widely used online invoicing, management, and accounting platforms,
- SOLO – a platform offering PFAs a complete business administration service, including invoicing, accounting, and tax filings, and
- Regina Maria – a network of medical clinics.
Between November 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, PFAs using Visa business cards will have access to discounts on core services provided by these three partner companies. The new benefits include a 50% discount on Smartbill’s online invoicing module, a six-month subscription discount for SOLO, and discounts on all subscription plans in the Regina Maria clinic network.
“PFAs and SMEs, in general, are the backbone of every economy, holding a significant share of businesses both in Europe and in Romania. With these first-time offers tailored for PFAs, we aim to help these businesses grow while also easing the challenges posed by recent economic turbulence,” said Claudia Cruceru, Business Development Lead for Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia at Visa.
Business cards issued by financial institutions under the Visa brand are a modern payment tool that provides direct access to a company’s current account while offering enhanced security through various Visa-designed technologies available to financial institutions, such as transaction tokenization and secure dispute resolution protocols. Another key benefit is greater expense control, with the ability to set transaction limits for each card and gain real-time access to payment information in a digital environment. Additionally, business cards provide exclusive benefits and discounts through Visa’s partner network via the Small Big Business platform.
The new offers for PFAs on Visa business cards are part of Visa’s ongoing efforts to support SMEs in developing their digital capabilities. These benefits complement existing features available on marileafacerimici.ro, Visa’s integrated platform launched two years ago, which provides educational resources and special offers for SMEs and is freely accessible at www.visa.ro. Small entrepreneurs can find practical information on growing their online business, from creating a website to promoting and selling products and services online. The educational content and offers on the platform are continuously expanded and improved to better meet the needs of small businesses.
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating payment transactions between consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and government entities in over 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payment network, helping consumers, businesses, and economies thrive. We believe that inclusive economies benefit everyone, and we consider access to be fundamental to the future of money movement. Learn more at visa.ro.
