Under the agreement, the Watan Visa prepaid debit card, funded by the Pakistan government will be loaded each with USD 230 and issued by UBL in the coming weeks. Nadra, Pakistans governmental identification agency, is collaborating with Visa and the issuing bank on the deployment of cards across the country. In addition, Visa is working with its partners in Pakistan to establish an acceptance infrastructure that allows recipients to make purchases of essential items for their families at local merchants or to withdraw cash.
The decision made by the Pakistani government to switch from cash to electronic distribution of aid follows a 2009 partnership with Visa and UBL. The latter have cooperated to relieve the suffering of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Northwest of the country through the issuance of 400,000 Visa prepaid debit cards.
The current monsoon floods in Pakistan have affected nearly 20 million people, left 4 million people homeless and destroyed thousands of villages.
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