Visa & Main: Built to Champion Small Businesses

Visa has officially launched Visa & Main, a dedicated platform designed to streamline how small business owners across the US access the financial infrastructure and capital required to scale. 

Developed as a direct response to the primary hurdles facing modern entrepreneurs – specifically liquidity, customer reach and the adoption of digital tools – the initiative consolidates the payment giant's extensive network capabilities into a single, accessible hub.

The launch underscores a strategic move by Visa to integrate its fintech products with localised support. 

Kim Lawrence, Regional President of North America at Visa, says: "Small businesses are the heartbeat of local communities and represent nearly half of our country’s economic activity. 

“With Visa & Main, we’re connecting Visa’s products and in-house knowledge with the expertise of our clients and partners to provide small businesses with flexible financing opportunities and customer acquisition and technology support. It’s a platform built to meet small business owners where they are – in our local neighbourhoods and at community events across the country.”

Bridging the liquidity gap

A central pillar of the new platform is the provision of business capital, addressing a critical pain point in the fintech ecosystem.

Recent data from the Federal Reserve’s Small Business Credit Survey indicates that 43% of small businesses report significant financing challenges. 

To mitigate this, Visa has established a US$100m working capital facility in partnership with Lendistry, a community-focused lender specialising in undercapitalised markets. By leveraging Lendistry’s expertise in reaching businesses that often fall outside the remit of traditional banking, Visa aims to inject much-needed liquidity into the sector. 

Everett K. Sands, CEO of Lendistry, notes: "At Lendistry, we've seen first hand how access to affordable capital can transform a small business – and an entire community.

“Accessible capital is like an infusion of oxygen, helping these businesses expand and take advantage of the moment. Visa’s investment will allow us to connect more undercapitalised entrepreneurs to the resources they need to build sustainable businesses.”

Moving forward, the platform intends to broaden its scope to include additional grant opportunities and diverse financial support programs.

Leveraging global sponsorship for local growth

Visa & Main also seeks to solve the visibility problem many SMEs face, particularly during high-profile sporting and cultural events.

As the Official Payment Technology Partner of FIFA, Visa is using its sponsorship portfolio to help local enterprises capitalise on the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Business Connect arm of the platform provides marketing support, digital guides and workshops to help owners navigate high-traffic periods. For example, a recent collaboration with Square in San Francisco featured a ‘Square Stops Here’ bus tour to spotlight local merchants. 

Accelerating digital transformation

The final component of the platform, Business Essentials, focuses on the digital divide. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, large enterprises adopt advanced technologies like cloud-based systems at a significantly higher rate than smaller firms.

Visa & Main provides the tools to close this gap, offering access to digital payment acceptance via Visa’s network.

Additionally, Visa offers expense management and money-movement solutions

Risk and fraud-mitigation tools for dispute management are also included, alongside AI-powered advisory and financial education.