okarito travel platform

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Une nouvelle conception du travel management

Nous combinons la pointe de la technologie et un service client proactif et humain pour vous offrir une expérience de gestion des voyages professionnels unique pour vos business travellers..

Une expérience voyageur unique

Donnez accès à vos voyageurs à une plateforme de réservation digne d'eux sur okarito, vos business travellers paient en 1 clic, ne perdent plus de temps à faire des notes de frais, et peuvent compter sur l'équipe okarito en cas de problème. vos collaborateurs sont soulagés de toutes leurs tâches à faible valeur ajoutée et peuvent se concentrer pleinement sur leurs missions..

Une expérience de réservation réimaginée

Nous savons que vous avez marre des plateformes pensées pour les touristes, remplies de popups et de pubs. nous avons redessiné l'expérience de réservation pour que vos voyageurs trouvent le meilleur vol rapidement, et puissent confirmer leur réservation en 3 clics..

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Le Travel Management dans les PME est inefficace.

Une plateforme complète de travel management

Nous ne sommes pas qu'une solution de réservation. nous sommes également un réel partenaire de business travel management : ayez accès à l'ensemble de vos réservations passées et à venir, retrouvez l'ensemble de vos factures et consultez des statistiques sur vos dépenses voyage. c'est ça, le futur du travel management..

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What is Okarito ?

Okarito (acquired by Swile) is an intuitive platform to manage and centralize all of your business trips. The solution simplifies your accounting and allows you to gain control and visibility over your travel expenses. ... Read More

Who uses Okarito ?

Independant workers and small teams // Small and medium companies // Large companies

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Okarito, the 100% digital French platform that facilitates business trips

Okarito, a young start-up that recently raised €2.1 million, aims to simplify the management of business travel in companies. The fully digital platform is dedicated to small teams, SMEs and SMIs wishing to better manage their employees’ travel. As mentioned by the company , the start-up is based on 3 axis: booking, modification and cancellation in complete autonomy, automatic payments and centralization of invoices, and a reactive and efficient customer service Zoom on this 100% digital solution.

An API to dematerialize transport tickets

Founded in 2018 by Brice Huet and Remi Duvoux, the project Okarito was born from the realization that business travel is very poorly managed. After interviewing more than 300 professionals, the two co-founders noticed that companies have two business travel management systems:

• On one hand, employees book their trips themselves on public websites (without BtoB platforms) and pay for them. The booking system on tourism websites has many disadvantages. It becomes very complicated to manage for the finance team, which loses time managing expense reports. In addition, they have no visibility or control over expenses and accounting.
• On the other hand, some companies use traditional travel agencies. They have not yet taken the digitalization step, often with limited offers and many fees added.

This is the genesis of Okarito, a free, no-commitment and entirely online platform. In January 2021, the company already had more than 500 companies under its wing, including Payfit, Kaufman & Broad, So Bio and Welcome to the Jungle.

A well thought-out solution

Far from traditional travel agencies, Okarito stands out thanks to its algorithm, which it developed internally, allowing it to calculate in real time the best price for each trip. Okarito provides business travelers with one of the world’s largest inventories of air, rail, hotel and car rentals. Employees are therefore completely autonomous to book, cancel and modify their business trips.

Optimized management

With a single travel management platform, companies can regain control of their travel budgets and implement a travel policy. Employees no longer have to advance expenses and get lost in invoice retrieval. All expenses are automatically paid, and accountants receive a single invoice at the end of the month.

The platform’s simple and modern interface allows employees to book trips for their colleagues, setting up approval channels if needed.

User experience at the center of priorities

Okarito achieves its aim at simplifying the life of its customers by providing a 24/7 customer service with an average response time of 4 minutes.

A growing company

First of all, the new NDC (New Distribution Capability) standard, which we detailed in our previous focus , is a real opportunity for the company. Indeed, it is not dependent on GDS remuneration. Its main sources of revenue come from the invoicing ofa fixed fee per active traveler, but also its suppliers and the contracts it negotiates with them.

In addition, the health and economic crisis has been a real opportunity for the company: “We have never had as many new prospects as since the containment,” says Remi Duvoux. The reason? Certainly because companies, more than ever, want to have control over the mobility of their employees. For the moment, the company already added some features:

• Adding the rental car
• Team development (technical, customer service, marketing and sales)
• Creation of partners (business contributors and prescribers)

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Paris-based traveltech Okarito raises €2.1 million to manage post-COVID business trips for startups and SMEs

French traveltech Okarito , a digital platform for companies to organise and optimize their business trips while ensuring the well-being of their employees, has closed a fundraising round of €2.1 million, led by Axeleo Capital, and accompanied by Kima Ventures and various business angels including Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux (President of Notus  Technologies). The startup will use the funds to accelerate its business development and help more companies ensure safe travel for their employees.

Founded in January 2018, Okarito helps startups and SMEs simplify the management of their employees’ business travel. The startup provides a booking and administrative tracking platform that offers an intuitive booking experience. With 24/7 customer service based in Paris, the startup also accompanies its travellers throughout their journey. Okarito offers a comprehensive inventory of flights, hotels and trains with competitive options in terms of both choice and price, giving its customers around 30% savings compared to a traditional travel agency.

Since the launching in early 2019, the volume of bookings made on Okarito has increased by 30% each month. Brice Huet, co-founder and commercial director of Okarito explains: “Our customers have between 5 and 1000 employees, but all have in common the need to create new business opportunities and build social ties between their teams, which naturally leads them to travel. They all share the desire to end the cumbersome processes of expense notes, to simplify their accounting, while ensuring the well-being of their employees on the go. This fundraiser will allow us to continue to improve our platform, and accelerate commercially. We are extremely proud to work with Axeleo, Kima and Notus who are all experts in the development of solutions that solve real problems in companies.”

Okarito is already projecting itself as a booking platform for a post-Covid world. Remi  Duvoux, co-founder and CEO of Okarito expands: “Companies have been faced with the repatriation of their employees and time-consuming management of cancelled travel reimbursements, and they never want to face them again! In a post-covid world, they can no longer afford not to know where their collaborators are. With a lighter cost structure and proprietary platform, we can adapt very quickly and offer relevant services to our customers. We’ve never had as many new prospects as we have since lockdown.”

Okarito has already convinced more than 200 companies of its travel management platform, including startups Welcome to the Jungle, Prestashop, Mailjet, Payfit, ToucanToco, as well as more traditional SMEs like the Ayor Group or the So Press Group (SO FOOT, Society).

This first round of financing will be used to accelerate commercial development with SMEs in France, as well as to continue to improve the booking platform. The funds will also strengthen the team: the goal is to increase the number of employees by the end of the year, including in development, sales, marketing and customer support.

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Barcelona-based TravelPerk snaps an additional €95 million to hit the gas and speed away hyper-growth

Barcelona-based apartool raises €5.5 million in series a to lead the european corporate housing market, munich-based lanes & planes takes off with €33.2 million series b to fuel growth in corporate travel sector, polish business travel platform hotailors scores €23 million to fuel international growth, barcelona-based travelperk becomes spain’s latest unicorn with a €1.1 billion valuation, madrid-based troop secures €6.92 million to make corporate meeting and event planning easy and transparent, when to seek funding – and more importantly, when to stay clear, what does the future hold for business travel, helsinki-based bob w raises €10 million to expand its ‘ridiculously clean’ hotel alternative across europe, most popular, polish startup foractive raises €1.5 million pre-seed to boost independent sports instructors, swiss venture capital firm 14peaks closed its inaugural fund of over €28 million to power software startups in fintech, czech startup talsec secures €1 million to offer a protection toolkit for mobile-first businesses, london-based recycling startup sorted raises over €1.9 million aiming to solve material sorting gap.

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Okarito raises €2.1 million to manage business travel for startups and SMEs

Launched in January 2018 by Brice Huet and Remi Duvoux, Okarito develops a platform that allows startups and SMEs to organize their business trips and optimize the management of employee travel. The startup offers a comprehensive inventory of flights, hotels, and trains and allows executives to gain visibility into the expense of travel. Okarito announces that it has attracted more than 200 companies for travel management, including startups Welcome to the Jungle, Prestashop, Mailjet, and Payfit.

Okarito's platform offers a user-friendly interface that allows companies to easily book, modify, and cancel travel plans. Additionally, the platform allows companies to centralize their travel expenses and generate reports that provide insights on spending patterns.

Welcome to the Jungle, a recruitment platform, uses Okarito to manage the travel of its employees attending events and conferences. Prestashop, an e-commerce platform, uses Okarito for its international business travel needs. Mailjet, an email marketing platform, uses Okarito to manage its team's travel expenses. Finally, Payfit, a payroll and HR management platform, uses Okarito to optimize its travel budget.

Okarito's funding round was led by Serena Capital, a French venture capital firm. The funding will be used to hire additional employees and expand the company's reach in Europe.

Okarito's platform offers a comprehensive solution for managing business travel for startups and SMEs. Its focus on cost optimization and expense tracking has attracted a diverse range of clients, including some of the most innovative startups in France. With the recent funding, Okarito is poised for continued growth and expansion in the European market.

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Okarito company profile

Business travel booking platform

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Okarito Key Metrics

Company profile of okarito, what does okarito do, what sectors and market segments does okarito operate in, the primary business model of okarito is :, funding and investors of okarito, how much funding has okarito raised till date.

Okarito has raised a total funding of $2.36M over 1 round . It's latest funding round was a Seed round on Jul 03, 2020 for $2.36M . 3 investor s participated in it's latest round, lead by Axeleo Capital .

List of recent funding rounds of Okarito

Who are the investors in okarito.

Okarito has 3 institutional investor s including Axeleo Capital , Kima Ventures and Notus Technologies . Geoff Bez is only Angel Investor in Okarito .

Founders and Board of Directors of Okarito

Who are the ceo, founders and directors of okarito.

• Brice Huet , Co-Founder , is a founder of 1 company . 1 email .
• Remi Duvoux , Co-Founder , is a founder of 1 company . 1 email .

Competitors of Okarito

Competitive landscape of okarito, below is a comparison of top competitors of okarito, investments and acquisitions by okarito, reports related to okarito.

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The trains and stations of the Moscow Metro

2 Comments · Posted by Alex Smirnov in Cities , Travel , Video

The Moscow Metro is the third most intensive subway system in the world after Tokyo and Seoul subways. The first line was opened on May 15, 1935. Since 1955, the metro has the name of V.I. Lenin.

The system consists of 12 lines with a total length of 305.7 km. Forty four stations are recognized cultural heritage. The largest passenger traffic is in rush hours from 8:00 to 9:00 and from 18:00 to 19:00.

Cellular communication is available on most of the stations of the Moscow Metro. In March 2012, a free Wi-Fi appeared in the Circle Line train. The Moscow Metro is open to passengers from 5:20 to 01:00. The average interval between trains is 2.5 minutes.

The fare is paid by using contactless tickets and contactless smart cards, the passes to the stations are controlled by automatic turnstiles. Ticket offices and ticket vending machines can be found in station vestibules.

Tags:  Moscow city

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Tomás · August 27, 2012 at 11:34 pm

The Moscow metro stations are the best That I know, cars do not.

Alberto Calvo · September 25, 2016 at 8:57 pm

Great videos! Moscow Metro is just spectacular. I actually visited Moscow myself quite recently and wrote a post about my top 7 stations, please check it out and let me know what you think! :)

http://www.arwtravels.com/blog/moscow-metro-top-7-stations-you-cant-miss

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Saudia Partners with Accenture to Launch AI-powered Digital 'Travel Companion' Platform

• 2.4 min read

Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has launched its innovative digital platform, the Travel Companion (TC), powered by advanced artificial intelligence. This move is part of a two-year plan to revolutionize the travel industry by embracing digital innovations. In collaboration with global professional services firm Accenture, Saudia's Travel Companion is set to change how travelers interact with the airline and redefine the standards of digital travel.

The Travel Companion offers personalized and tailored solutions to meet individual preferences and needs, providing search results from trusted and authenticated sources and utilizes image-supported responses. The platform is intended to be a comprehensive, one-stop solution that allows users to book concierge services such as hotels, transportation, restaurants, activities, and attractions, eliminating the need to switch between multiple platforms. Additionally, it establishes seamless connections with transportation platforms and various train companies, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted journey.

In the next stages, Saudia will introduce additional features, such as voice command and digital payment solutions. Through an always-on Travel Companion accessible via a telecom e-SIM card enabled by Saudia, users can enjoy global access without relying on other internet providers. Furthermore, users can purchase data packages for additional applications, ensuring continuous access to the platform's services.

The ultimate goal of the Travel Companion is to become the top app for travelers, providing unparalleled travel information. With aspirations to become the go-to platform for various services beyond flight bookings, the Travel Companion will aim to distinguish itself in the airline industry.

Omar, Director General of Saudia Group

We are thrilled to introduce the Travel Companion, a game-changer in the airline industry that will revolutionize the digital travel experience. This platform, resulting from our ongoing collaboration with Accenture, signifies our forward-looking approach to providing guests with unparalleled convenience and flexibility.

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Ray is a news editor at The Fast Mode, bringing with him more than 10 years of experience in the wireless industry.

For tips and feedback, email Ray at ray.sharma(at)thefastmode.com, or reach him on LinkedIn  @raysharma10 , Facebook  @1RaySharma

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The Moscow Metro Museum of Art: 10 Must-See Stations

There are few times one can claim having been on the subway all afternoon and loving it, but the Moscow Metro provides just that opportunity.  While many cities boast famous public transport systems—New York’s subway, London’s underground, San Salvador’s chicken buses—few warrant hours of exploration.  Moscow is different: Take one ride on the Metro, and you’ll find out that this network of railways can be so much more than point A to B drudgery.

The Metro began operating in 1935 with just thirteen stations, covering less than seven miles, but it has since grown into the world’s third busiest transit system ( Tokyo is first ), spanning about 200 miles and offering over 180 stops along the way.  The construction of the Metro began under Joseph Stalin’s command, and being one of the USSR’s most ambitious building projects, the iron-fisted leader instructed designers to create a place full of svet (radiance) and svetloe budushchee (a radiant future), a palace for the people and a tribute to the Mother nation.

Consequently, the Metro is among the most memorable attractions in Moscow.  The stations provide a unique collection of public art, comparable to anything the city’s galleries have to offer and providing a sense of the Soviet era, which is absent from the State National History Museum.  Even better, touring the Metro delivers palpable, experiential moments, which many of us don’t get standing in front of painting or a case of coins.

Though tours are available , discovering the Moscow Metro on your own provides a much more comprehensive, truer experience, something much less sterile than following a guide.  What better place is there to see the “real” Moscow than on mass transit: A few hours will expose you to characters and caricatures you’ll be hard-pressed to find dining near the Bolshoi Theater.  You become part of the attraction, hear it in the screech of the train, feel it as hurried commuters brush by: The Metro sucks you beneath the city and churns you into the mix.

With the recommendations of our born-and-bred Muscovite students, my wife Emma and I have just taken a self-guided tour of what some locals consider the top ten stations of the Moscow Metro. What most satisfied me about our Metro tour was the sense of adventure .  I loved following our route on the maps of the wagon walls as we circled the city, plotting out the course to the subsequent stops; having the weird sensation of being underground for nearly four hours; and discovering the next cavern of treasures, playing Indiana Jones for the afternoon, piecing together fragments of Russia’s mysterious history.  It’s the ultimate interactive museum.

Top Ten Stations (In order of appearance)

Kievskaya station.

Kievskaya Station went public in March of 1937, the rails between it and Park Kultury Station being the first to cross the Moscow River.  Kievskaya is full of mosaics depicting aristocratic scenes of Russian life, with great cameo appearances by Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin.  Each work has a Cyrillic title/explanation etched in the marble beneath it; however, if your Russian is rusty, you can just appreciate seeing familiar revolutionary dates like 1905 ( the Russian Revolution ) and 1917 ( the October Revolution ).

Mayakovskaya Station

Mayakovskaya Station ranks in my top three most notable Metro stations. Mayakovskaya just feels right, done Art Deco but no sense of gaudiness or pretention.  The arches are adorned with rounded chrome piping and create feeling of being in a jukebox, but the roof’s expansive mosaics of the sky are the real showstopper.  Subjects cleverly range from looking up at a high jumper, workers atop a building, spires of Orthodox cathedrals, to nimble aircraft humming by, a fleet of prop planes spelling out CCCP in the bluest of skies.

Novoslobodskaya Station

Novoslobodskaya is the Metro’s unique stained glass station.  Each column has its own distinctive panels of colorful glass, most of them with a floral theme, some of them capturing the odd sailor, musician, artist, gardener, or stenographer in action.  The glass is framed in Art Deco metalwork, and there is the lovely aspect of discovering panels in the less frequented haunches of the hall (on the trackside, between the incoming staircases).  Novosblod is, I’ve been told, the favorite amongst out-of-town visitors.

Komsomolskaya Station

Komsomolskaya Station is one of palatial grandeur.  It seems both magnificent and obligatory, like the presidential palace of a colonial city.  The yellow ceiling has leafy, white concrete garland and a series of golden military mosaics accenting the tile mosaics of glorified Russian life.  Switching lines here, the hallway has an Alice-in-Wonderland feel, impossibly long with decorative tile walls, culminating in a very old station left in a remarkable state of disrepair, offering a really tangible glimpse behind the palace walls.

Dostoevskaya Station

Dostoevskaya is a tribute to the late, great hero of Russian literature .  The station at first glance seems bare and unimpressive, a stark marble platform without a whiff of reassembled chips of tile.  However, two columns have eerie stone inlay collages of scenes from Dostoevsky’s work, including The Idiot , The Brothers Karamazov , and Crime and Punishment.   Then, standing at the center of the platform, the marble creates a kaleidoscope of reflections.  At the entrance, there is a large, inlay portrait of the author.

Chkalovskaya Station

Chkalovskaya does space Art Deco style (yet again).  Chrome borders all.  Passageways with curvy overhangs create the illusion of walking through the belly of a chic, new-age spacecraft.  There are two (kos)mosaics, one at each end, with planetary subjects.  Transferring here brings you above ground, where some rather elaborate metalwork is on display.  By name similarity only, I’d expected Komsolskaya Station to deliver some kosmonaut décor; instead, it was Chkalovskaya that took us up to the space station.

Elektrozavodskaya Station

Elektrozavodskaya is full of marble reliefs of workers, men and women, laboring through the different stages of industry.  The superhuman figures are round with muscles, Hollywood fit, and seemingly undeterred by each Herculean task they respectively perform.  The station is chocked with brass, from hammer and sickle light fixtures to beautiful, angular framework up the innards of the columns.  The station’s art pieces are less clever or extravagant than others, but identifying the different stages of industry is entertaining.

Baumanskaya Statio

Baumanskaya Station is the only stop that wasn’t suggested by the students.  Pulling in, the network of statues was just too enticing: Out of half-circle depressions in the platform’s columns, the USSR’s proud and powerful labor force again flaunts its success.  Pilots, blacksmiths, politicians, and artists have all congregated, posing amongst more Art Deco framing.  At the far end, a massive Soviet flag dons the face of Lenin and banners for ’05, ’17, and ‘45.  Standing in front of the flag, you can play with the echoing roof.

Ploshchad Revolutsii Station

Novokuznetskaya Station

Novokuznetskaya Station finishes off this tour, more or less, where it started: beautiful mosaics.  This station recalls the skyward-facing pieces from Mayakovskaya (Station #2), only with a little larger pictures in a more cramped, very trafficked area.  Due to a line of street lamps in the center of the platform, it has the atmosphere of a bustling market.  The more inventive sky scenes include a man on a ladder, women picking fruit, and a tank-dozer being craned in.  The station’s also has a handsome black-and-white stone mural.

Here is a map and a brief description of our route:

Start at (1)Kievskaya on the “ring line” (look for the squares at the bottom of the platform signs to help you navigate—the ring line is #5, brown line) and go north to Belorusskaya, make a quick switch to the Dark Green/#2 line, and go south one stop to (2)Mayakovskaya.  Backtrack to the ring line—Brown/#5—and continue north, getting off at (3)Novosblodskaya and (4)Komsolskaya.  At Komsolskaya Station, transfer to the Red/#1 line, go south for two stops to Chistye Prudy, and get on the Light Green/#10 line going north.  Take a look at (5)Dostoevskaya Station on the northern segment of Light Green/#10 line then change directions and head south to (6)Chkalovskaya, which offers a transfer to the Dark Blue/#3 line, going west, away from the city center.  Have a look (7)Elektroskaya Station before backtracking into the center of Moscow, stopping off at (8)Baumskaya, getting off the Dark Blue/#3 line at (9)Ploschad Revolyutsii.  Change to the Dark Green/#2 line and go south one stop to see (10)Novokuznetskaya Station.

Check out our new Moscow Indie Travel Guide , book a flight to Moscow and read 10 Bars with Views Worth Blowing the Budget For

Jonathon Engels, formerly a patron saint of misadventure, has been stumbling his way across cultural borders since 2005 and is currently volunteering in the mountains outside of Antigua, Guatemala.  For more of his work, visit his website and blog .

Photo credits:   SergeyRod , all others courtesy of the author and may not be used without permission

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• Mastercard launches mobile virtual card app to simplify travel and business expenses

HSBC and Westpac to unlock the convenience, security and efficiency of tap to pay transactions   

Mastercard announced a new mobile virtual card app that enables virtual commercial cards to be seamlessly added to digital wallets. The innovative app is designed to offer financial institutions more choice in how they deliver the secure and sustainable contactless payment solutions that companies increasingly expect.  

For over a decade, Mastercard has pioneered virtual card solutions to simplify tedious expense report and reconciliation processes for employees, contractors, recruits, and consultants who often use personal cards or cash for reimbursable business expenses. As companies navigate changing payment preferences particularly from the entry-level workforce – with over two-thirds of millennials having adopted digital wallets 1 – mobile technology is unlocking the next frontier of convenient contactless payments.   

“Businesses worldwide are seeking fast and secure payment experiences, where payments can be made with just a click or tap, and finance teams can experience automatic reconciliation,” said Chad Wallace, global head of Commercial Solutions, Mastercard. “With today’s launch, we’re providing innovative tech that digitizes business and travel expenses, while also empowering businesses with more control of and visibility into their finances.”  

The app leverages Mastercard’s innovative virtual card and tokenization platforms, enhanced data, and robust spend controls all within one easy-to-use interface. Accessing Mastercard mobile virtual cards is made seamless through the app so users can quickly experience the benefits of tap to pay. Mastercard mobile virtual cards can be used by organizations spanning a range of sizes and industries – including healthcare, insurance, fleet, higher education, and corporate travel.  

Key capabilities and benefits of Mastercard’s mobile virtual card app include:  

• Increased security : The app offers the ability to set up a biometric authentication and an added security measure using a PIN to view card details. Each virtual card is also tokenized, enabling the cardholder’s sensitive data to be replaced by a unique card number so sensitive account details are not exposed.  
• Robust spend controls: Organizations can confidently stay compliant with expense policies using Mastercard’s transaction-level controls, which limit how, where, and when a mobile virtual card can be used. 
• Flexible integrations: Financial institutions can quickly get to market through Mastercard’s user interface or flexible API-based integrations, and offer unique features such as customized card art.  
• Holistic and seamless payment experience: The app provides a single interface to check the status of card balances and view pending and completed transactions, and is bank-agnostic, enabling users to access and manage virtual commercial cards issued by multiple participating financial institutions.  
• Real-time and enhanced data: For each mobile virtual card created, custom data elements are automatically captured and matched to the transaction, providing organizations with increased insights into spending and automatic reconciliation to optimize back-office processes. 

HSBC Australia and Westpac will be the first financial institutions to offer organizations and corporate customers mobile wallet functionality through the Mastercard app.    

“We’re pleased to partner with Mastercard to bring mobile wallet virtual cards to our Australian corporate clients, providing them with a smarter, safer, and faster way to pay,” said John Scott, Head of Global Payments, HSBC Australia. “Mobile wallet usage is growing, with the Asia-Pacific region accounting for over half of the digital payment transactions globally 2 . As contactless payments continue to surge, it’s important that corporate clients have access to best-in-class payment solutions to keep their business secure and take advantage of the increased efficiency offered by the latest technologies. HSBC has a history of delivering innovative digital solutions to our corporate clients, and we’re proud to add to that legacy with the launch of mobile wallet virtual cards in Australia. We plan to launch in other markets later this year.” 

“Westpac is pleased to be one of the first domestic banks in Australia to offer the new Mastercard mobile virtual card app to our corporate and commercial customers in addition to our existing virtual card capabilities. The global payments market is at an inflection point and the mobile wallet solution, combining digital innovation, real time processing and security through robust controls is another way we’re helping our customers,” said Jeff Byrne, Managing Director of Global Transaction Services at Westpac Institutional Bank. 

The app will be available in other key markets for users with a commercial virtual card issued through an organization by a participating financial institution. Once registered for the app with an invitation code, users will find their commercial virtual cards automatically linked and ready to be added to select digital wallets for use across Mastercard’s trusted global network.  

For more information on other ways Mastercard is simplifying commercial payments, click here .  

1 PYMNTS Research: “Mobile Wallet Challenge: Replacing Physical With Digital,” (April 2023)  

2 “Global Mobile Payment Methods 2024 Report” (January 2024)  

Disclaimers:  

Mastercard In Control Pay app and features are available only for eligible virtual card accounts issued by the financial institution. Prepaid Cards and Consumer Cards are not eligible. The virtual card(s) are not issued by Mastercard and is (are) subject to the terms and conditions of the relevant issuer.  

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About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

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Claudia Looi

Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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TikTok Notes 12+

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Audio would be cool but it’s an ok app, I think it needs audios bcs it’s too silent and it makes me hear the voices

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