Visa and USSC Money Services Inc. (UMSI) have launched a service that allows micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to accept contactless card payments through smartphones, eliminating the need for conventional point-of-sale (POS) terminals.
Called U Accept, the service uses Visa Accept technology and is integrated into UMSI’s uGrow app, a digital platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Merchants can activate the service through the app and accept payments by having customers tap their contactless cards on a near-field communication (NFC)-enabled smartphone. Visa said the service works on eligible Android and iOS devices.
U Accept also supports payment links, digital receipts sent by email, and transaction records. These features are integrated with uGrow’s sales-monitoring and inventory-management tools. Payments may be settled to a merchant’s U Visa prepaid card.
The service targets small merchants that may be unable to shoulder the rental costs and compliance requirements associated with traditional POS terminals.
UMSI chief marketing officer J. Richard Soriano said MSMEs need only present a barangay or business permit to be accredited for the service.
Visa Philippines country manager Jeffrey Navarro said U Accept is not intended to replace conventional POS terminals but to provide an entry-level option for merchants beginning to accept digital payments.
Navarro said transactions are processed in real time, while payments are remitted to merchants on a near-real-time basis.
“This is not an exclusive arrangement [with USSC], but they are the first and so far the only provider of this service,” Navarro said.
MSMEs account for more than 99% of business establishments and 67% of employment in the Philippines. However, equipment costs, onboarding requirements, and limited awareness continue to prevent some small merchants from accepting card payments.
Visa cited its own research showing that 83% of surveyed Filipino small-business owners reported higher turnover after they began accepting cards, while 41% said customers spent more when paying by card.
Among businesses that did not accept cards, 67% said they would adopt a card-payment system if given support.
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas deputy governor Mamerto Tangonan said the service could broaden small merchants’ access to digital payment infrastructure.
“Visa Accept marks an important step towards democratizing digital payments acceptance, with more Filipino MSMEs set to benefit from improving access to payment innovations. This collaboration supports the country’s broader digital transformation agenda and advances financial inclusion for more Filipinos throughout the country,” Tangonan said in a statement.
The launch follows a partnership announced by Visa and UMSI in 2025 to introduce Visa Direct for outbound and cross-border money transfers.
