Visa European Union has its headquarters in London, England. Several notable achievements have been made in the past year. Visa European Union and its members continue to lead the implementation of a chip-based payment infrastructure. In 1998 the Visa European Union Board voted to adopt a framework for ensuring that credit and debit smart cards and merchant terminals achieve compliance by 2001 with international standards. This compliance will in turn set the stage for implementation of multi-application smart cards .
Pilots are also in operation in Germany, and Italy, with more planned in the upcoming year.
To date 2.3 million Visa Cash cards have been issued in Europe. And since 1996 Visa European Union has been home to the world's largest group secure electronic commerce program using Visa cards over open networks. One hundred and eight Visa members in 18 European countries are taking part in the program. In the commercial card arena, Visa European Union has also experienced a great deal of momentum. And in recent months Visa formed strategic alliances with ICL and Dublin-based Office Integrated Solutions Limited which will enable businesses to enjoy tailored solutions for their electronic commerce requirements.