Visa Direct is collaborating with Moonrise, a Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform powered by the Nordic challenger bank Lunar, to secure access to local payment rails across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
The strategic partnership significantly strengthens Visa Direct’s ability to support real-time, domestic payments and local account access for international clients operating within or expanding into the Nordic region.
Simplifying a uniquely structured market
Through this collaboration, Visa Direct will extend its global payments platform with specialized local Nordic capabilities. By integrating Moonrise’s comprehensive suite of local accounts and payment infrastructure, clients gain access to virtual accounts, domestic clearing, pay-ins, and pay-outs across regional payment schemes through a single API.
The move builds upon an existing relationship between Visa and Lunar, evolving it from isolated point solutions into a complete, scalable payment offering for Visa Direct’s global clientele. Philip Konopik, SVP and head of commercial & money movement solutions at Visa Europe, noted that access to true local accounts is rapidly becoming a key differentiator in European markets.
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“The Nordics are a highly advanced but uniquely structured payments market, with local infrastructure and regulatory requirements that can be complex for companies looking to scale across the region,” Konopik explained.
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He highlighted that through Moonrise, Visa Direct can now combine its massive global reach with critical local capabilities.
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This integration grants clients the flexibility to operate at scale while maintaining the consistency and resilience of the Visa Direct platform.
Scaling without multiple integrations
Ken Villum Klausen, CEO and founder of Lunar, emphasized the strategic importance of connecting the region to broader global networks.
“Visa is building the next generation of global payments infrastructure, and Moonrise is what brings the Nordics into that equation,” Klausen stated. He added that by simplifying access to local payment rails, Moonrise enables global players to deliver local market experiences and scale in the region with greater speed and reliability, entirely removing the need for multiple local integrations.
Launched in 2023, Moonrise was specifically designed to help financial institutions and payment firms launch and scale across the Nordics. To date, the platform has already partnered with 19 global platforms, including notable industry players such as CurrencyCloud, TerraPay, Trustly, and Wise.
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