Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), the global payments technology company, today was
recognized for leadership in business ethics when it was placed on the
2013 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute,
a leading international think tank. Visa joins a group of global brands
who are dedicated to doing business with world-class ethical practices
and promoting ethical business standards.
The Ethisphere Institute is dedicated to the creation, advancement and
sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social
responsibility, anti-corruption, and sustainability. This is the seventh
year that the Institute has produced its annual list, and the first time
Visa has earned a position on it since becoming a publicly-traded
company in 2008.
“Visa is honored to be part of this group of companies who are committed
to operating at the highest level of ethics,” said Ellen Richey, Chief
Enterprise Risk Officer of Visa Inc. “This recognition reflects the
commitment of Visa’s employees worldwide to the highest levels of
ethical business practices and trust. Trust is critical to our business
of enabling electronic commerce, and that’s what we’ve done for more
than 50 years.”
Ethisphere uses a proprietary Ethics Quotient (EQTM) rating
system to evaluate companies’ performance in an objective, consistent
and standardized way. The EQ framework consists of five core evaluation
categories including ethics and compliance program; reputation,
leadership and innovation; governance; corporate citizenship and
responsibility; and culture of ethics.
“Visa Inc. continues to set the bar within its industry for a number of
its ethics programs,” said Alex Brigham, executive director of the
Ethisphere Institute. “As more companies each year strive for
recognition, Visa Inc. was added to World’s Most Ethical 2013 by
demonstrating its strong commitment to ethical practices.”
Visa takes a comprehensive approach to ethical business practice,
including industry-leading policies, trainings and programs. For
example, Visa’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which applies to
all employees and directors, emphasizes that honesty and integrity are
of paramount importance in every activity. In addition, Visa’s Corporate
Responsibility program is focused on areas where its business expertise
and philanthropic contributions can contribute to financial inclusion,
humanitarian support, community involvement, and responsible business
practices.
View the complete World’s
Most Ethical Companies 2013 list here.
About Visa Inc.
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers,
businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200
countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic
payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing
networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 24,000
transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and
assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue
cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s
innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to
offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with
prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit http://www.corporate.visa.com/.
About the Ethisphere Institute
The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international
think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best
practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility,
anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes
the globally recognized World’s Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the
quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only
third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures
that include: Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader
Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification™. The Institute’s
premier membership group, the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance™, is a
business ethics forum that includes more than 100 leading corporations,
universities and institutions that collectively leverage their
experience, expertise and innovative ways to address emerging compliance
challenges. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including
ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.
