Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 19, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 3, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleVisa will buy Argentina’s Prisma Medios de Pago and Newpay from Advent. Terms weren’t disclosed. Closing is targeted for Q1 2026 to accelerate tokenization, biometrics and risk tools across the market.
Feb 19 (Reuters) - Card giant Visa said on Thursday it would buy payment platforms Prisma and Newpay from private-equity firm Advent International, bolstering its presence in Argentina.
The deal links Visa's global payments network with a scaled local platform, giving the company a stronger footing to bolster digital payments use and modernize infrastructure across Argentina.
It will fast-track the adoption of technologies such as tokenization, biometric authentication and intelligent risk tools for consumers and businesses across Argentina, Visa said.
Prisma, established in 2014 through the merger of Visa Argentina and Banelco, is one of the biggest card issuing platforms in Argentina and processes more than six billion transactions annually for the country's leading banks.
Advent bought a majority stake in Prisma Medios de Pago from a group of 14 Argentinian banks and Visa International in 2019, valuing the company at $1.42 billion.
The sale was mandated as part of then-President Mauricio Macri's effort to open up Argentina's payments industry to more competition.
Advent bought the remaining stake in Prisma in 2022. Under Advent's ownership, the company was separated into three platforms — Prisma, Newpay and Payway.
Newpay provides payments and cash access infrastructure in Argentina. It also provides electronic bill payments and is an ATM operator in the country.
The terms of Visa's deal for Prisma and Newpay were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. Advent will retain the ownership of merchant acquirer Payway.
(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
Visa is acquiring Argentina-based payment platforms Prisma Medios de Pago and Newpay from Advent International to expand its presence and modernize the country’s payments infrastructure.
Prisma provides issuer processing for credit, debit and prepaid cards, while Newpay runs infrastructure including the Banelco ATM network and PagoMisCuentas bill-pay platform in Argentina.
The transaction is expected to close in Visa’s fiscal second quarter of 2026, which corresponds to the first calendar quarter of 2026, subject to customary conditions.
No. Payway, the merchant acquiring business related to Prisma, is not part of this transaction and will remain with Advent International.
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