Visa, a global payments technology firm, announced the launch of a worldwide innovation programme dubbed the Visa Everywhere Initiative in Ethiopia. The Initiative aims to give a platform for cutting-edge solutions for digital payment through identifying and collaborating with fintech firms. Fintech startups can apply to the programme starting from last week up until early April. The startups are expected to pitch their ideas to experts in the payments industry with selected winners advancing to compete on the Central Europe, Middle East & Africa stage for a chance to win a prize of 25,000 dollars. Regional winners will then go on to compete at a global stage for a potential 100,000-dollar grand prize. Since its inception in 2015, the Initiative has expanded into a global platform with more than 6,000 participating startups that have collectively raised over 2.5 billion dollars in funding. The programme has been rolled out in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, involving over 100 countries.