Astra pairs up with Visa to empower faster A2A payments

US fintech Astra, which is on a mission to provide instant card-to-card funding as a service, has teamed up with Visa to offer faster payments to millions of its end users.

Astra is using Visa Direct, Visa’s real-time payments service, to empower users to fund cards, wallets and other accounts with their eligible debit cards.

The fintech offers a payments platform that allows developers to quickly and safely add transfer functionality to their existing applications in as little as a week of development time. Built for scale and leveraging automation, Astra’s platform is integrated via API and removes the need for product builders to handle additional compliance, source capital commitments or take on operational costs.

‘Fintechs must adapt payment options to meet demand’

Astra CEO Gil Akos says: “Every consumer and business knows the value of time to money intimately. Every fintech product is faced with the challenge of providing faster account funding options for their users.

“Through our collaboration with Visa, we can provide fast payments for me-to-me and peer-to-peer transactions. An easy integration for advanced payments through Visa Direct via Astra’s API will enable a world of new innovations for banking, investing and marketplace products.”

Yanilsa Gonzalez-Ore, SVP and North America Head of Visa Direct, adds: “In a world where consumers expect to move money quickly and conveniently, fintechs and neo-banks must enhance their payment options to meet these new demands. Visa Direct empowers Astra’s clients to deliver money in real-time, providing end users with a fast option for moving funds between accounts.”