Olympic Volleyballer, Paola Ogechi Egonu’s lessons for unleashing the potential of the payments industry

The countdown is on for the world's best athletes to assemble at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, an event that continues to inspire and motivate people around the world.

These athletes' prowess is built on ten key fundamentals of athleticism, that offer invaluable lessons for individuals and businesses alike.

^{What are the 10 fundamentals of athleticism? Strength, stability, speed, power, anaerobic capacity, aerobic capacity, mobility, balance, coordination, mental resilience and agility}

Looking at mobility, balance and coordination, let’s find out what we can learn from these fundamentals to level up the payments game.

Meet volleyball player and Team Visa athlete, Paola Ogechi Egonu

Paola Ogechi Egonu, hailing from Cittadella, Italy, has cemented her name as a formidable force in the world of volleyball. Commanding the court in her position as an ‘opposite hitter’, her height and power, alongside her mobility, balance, and coordination have catapulted her to the summit of the sport.

Now playing for both Vero Volley Milano and the Italian national volleyball team, Paola’s journey into the spotlight began at Club Italia at just 15. Since then, she has claimed multiple championships and medals, etching her name into volleyball history.

She won silver at the 2018 World Championships, bronze at the 2019 European Championships, and ascended to gold at the 2021 European Championships, where she was named the tournament's best player.

2020 saw Paola turn mobility to nobility as she proudly carried the Italian team’s flag at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Two years later, she made history with Italy’s first Volleyball National League gold, earning MVP honours, as well as winning bronze at the World Championships.

Paola boasts the Serie A women’s volleyball league’s highest single-match score of 47 points and the World Championships’ record of 45 points, also holding the world record for fastest spike at 112.7 km/h.

Mobility, balance and coordination: Strengthening payment solutions through purposeful partnerships

On the court, Paola stays one step ahead of the game through a perfect blend of mobility, balance and coordination. She puts herself in the optimum position to block an offense from the other side of the net, whilst looking for the right opportunity to deliver a devastating spike. So what can we learn about these fundamentals when it comes to the payments industry?

With so many possibilities at our fingertips, we have come to expect choice in everything we do. Whether selecting the perfect takeaway or choosing how we save, spend, manage and invest our money, choice remains integral. Payment providers can provide choice through the mobility to deliver the same seamless, secure experiences across every payment option.

Last year, the Kalifa Review called for greater support for FinTechs by fostering a pro-innovation environment[1], ensuring businesses can access the talent, finance, and support they need to scale up.

We believe a balance of three key things are needed for the UK FinTech ecosystem to maintain its momentum and enable better access to financial services for all: purposeful partnerships, an inclusive recovery and sustainability-focused solutions.

No single organisation has all the answers on how to make payments fit for the varying and everchanging needs of consumers and businesses. We’re proud of the role we play in bringing coordination of so many parties and players involved in delivering an experience that is seamless for consumers and businesses - keeping all those parts working in order. That coordination is how we’ll deliver the best experiences for those who depend on us.

Partnerships will be critical to building an interconnected future. An open network, connecting banks, fintechs, open data platforms, governments and more will unlock value for consumers and businesses beyond what is imaginable today.

Paola is a shining example of what can be achieved when you master mobility, balance and coordination; fundamental skills that give not only Paola herself, but also her team, the ability to serve for success.

And that counts for Visa too – with mobility to deliver a great experience across a number of different payment moments, alongside the perfect balance of security and stability, whilst coordinating the many different players in the ecosystem, we’re striving to serve up greater outcomes for individuals, businesses and economies alike.