Visa Picks Atlanta To House 1,000 New FinTech Jobs

ATLANTA — Financial giant Visa is expanding its footprint in Atlanta to the tune of 1,000 jobs.

The company announced last week that it would be joining the parade of technology companies building hubs in the city by opening a Midtown office sometime next year.

The new 123,000 square-foot office at 1200 Peachtree Street will house a number of functional teams but will particularly focus on client services and technology, the company said. The location will share the address with rail giant Norfolk Southern’s corporate headquarters and across from the Colony Square retail complex to its east and the Woodruff Arts Center to its north.

And a number of leaders from across the globe will relocate to Atlanta to oversee a staff that is poised to grow to 1,000 in the coming years.

“As Visa continues to grow, it is critical we have a strong local presence in areas where we do meaningful business,” Visa’s U.S. market head Kim Lawrence said in a statement. “Growing our presence and workforce in Atlanta will enable Visa to serve our clients more effectively, support talent development and contribute to the long-term success of local communities.”

Gov. Brian Kemp and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Katie Kirkpatrick both celebrated the news.

“It’s always great to see a world-renowned company like Visa capitalize on the exceptional pool of diverse talent in Georgia and choose to invest in our state,” Kemp said. “Georgia is a growing hub for the FinTech industry thanks in part to our strategic investment in workforce development initiatives, and I look forward to seeing the countless opportunities this significant expansion creates for hardworking Georgians.”

Kirkpatrick called the metro area the “global hub” of the FinTech (financial technologies) and payment processing industry with point-of-service technology giant NCR based in Midtown, Fiserv in Alpharetta, and dozens of smaller companies like payment processing firms RoadSync and Patientco, youth financial app Greenlight, and business financing firm Kabbage, to name a few.

“Visa will no doubt benefit from initiatives like Fintech Atlanta, the Fintech Academy, and FinTech South as well as the diverse and industry-specific expertise of our metro Atlanta workforce,” she said. “Congratulations to Visa and all of the organizations that supported this decision.”

Part of the decision to grow in Atlanta was the diverse and tech-savvy workforce that other leaders from other industries — like AirBnB, FanDuel, and Microsoft — have selected to Atlanta to pull from.

“Atlanta represents an epicenter of financial technology expertise, resilient entrepreneurs, diverse perspectives and a vibrant community culture,” said Michelle Gethers-Clark, Chief Diversity Officer and Visa’s Head of Corporate Responsibility, who will reside in Atlanta and help to lead the new office. “We are committed to investing in and supporting the robust talent pool in Atlanta with rewarding professional development and growth opportunities.”

Atlanta careers that Visa is actively hiring for include client services, product management, risk and security, and finance.