Visa has taken the next step toward making mobile commerce a global reality. The card company has launched  four new programs to deliver payments and services via mobile devices.
 
According to a news release, two commercial mobile payments programs, in Brazil and Korea, along with two mobile offers and transaction notification pilots in the United States, are complementing the more than a dozen Visa mobile pilot and commercial programs around the world.
 
The mobile platform gives Visa's bank and wireless carrier partners the tools and technology framework they need to develop, test and offer innovative mobile services around payments. The mobile platform already supports some consumer programs and pilots .
 
Visa's investment in its mobile platform comes as more consumers in both developed and emerging markets adopt mobile devices. According to the GSM Association, nearly 3.5 billion mobile devices are currently in use throughout the world, with the greatest growth coming from developing countries. As these numbers have increased — and as the devices themselves grow smarter — consumers rely on them for much more than just communication.
 
Visa's vision in creating its mobile platform has been to apply the scale, flexibility and security of its global payment network to deliver both payment and value-added mobile services.
 
“As the payments ecosystem has expanded, so has Visa's opportunity to deliver innovative products and services to a diverse set of stakeholders,” said Elizabeth Buse, global head of product at Visa Inc.