Visa has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Prisma Medios de Pago and Newpay in Argentina from Advent International.
The transaction brings together two complementary payments infrastructure businesses. Prisma provides credit, debit, and prepaid card issuer processing, while Newpay is a multi-network infrastructure provider operating real-time payment services, the Banelco ATM network, and the bill payment platform PagoMisCuentas. The deal is subject to regulatory and closing conditions and is expected to complete in Visa's fiscal second quarter of 2026.
Infrastructure capabilities and strategic rationale
Upon closing, Visa intends to combine the technology platforms of both companies with its global network and value-added services. The stated priorities include deploying tokenization, biometric authentication, risk tools, and agentic commerce solutions. The combined infrastructure is also intended to support card-brand-agnostic processing, covering any card brand currently processed by Prisma and all payment methods offered by Newpay.
The acquisition gives Visa direct ownership of significant domestic payments infrastructure in Argentina, including ATM network operations and bill payment services, capabilities that extend well beyond its existing card network presence in the country.
Market context
Argentina's payments market has undergone considerable structural change in recent years, with growing adoption of digital payment methods alongside persistent challenges around financial inclusion and infrastructure modernisation. Real-time payment services and bill payment platforms play a material role in everyday financial activity for both consumers and businesses in the country.
Payway, another Argentina-based payments business previously associated with Prisma's ownership group, is not included in the transaction and will remain under Advent International's ownership, continuing to operate as a merchant acquirer.
For Visa, the acquisition represents a substantial deepening of its Argentina footprint, moving from network participation to direct control of issuer processing and domestic payment infrastructure. The deal follows a broader industry trend of global card networks pursuing ownership of local processing and real-time payment assets across emerging markets.
