Visa Inc. footprint at SM’s MOA complex balloons

MANILA, Philippines — Visa Inc. is expanding by more than twice its office footprint at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex as the global payments company expands its Philippine operations.

SM Offices, the commercial leasing arm of Sy-led SM Prime Holdings Inc., said it had signed an expansion lease with Visa covering a 9,000-square-meter (sq m) facility at Four E-com Center.

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Visa will relocate from its approximately 4,000-sq m space at Five E-com Center, bringing its office footprint within the complex to more than twice its previous size.

The new Four E-com facility houses the Visa Philippines Solution Center, which brings together administrative, financial and technology functions under a 24/7 operating model.

The larger space also gives Visa room to scale its operations.

SM Offices said the expansion reflects sustained demand from multinational companies for premium office spaces capable of supporting larger and more integrated operations in the Philippines.

“Today’s workplace plays a far more strategic role in organizational performance,” said Alexis Ortiga, vice president and business unit head of SM Offices.

Ortiga said large companies were increasingly seeking spaces where they could consolidate more of their operations while retaining flexibility for future expansion.

Chari Dela Cruz, who leads the solution center site of Visa Philippines, said moving to Four E-com Center was a “natural decision” as the company grows its business and workforce.

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“The E-com campus offers a strategic, well-connected location with the accessibility and amenities that make it an ideal environment for our growing team,” Dela Cruz said.

Designed by global architecture firm Arquitectonica, the development also features an open-air sky garden on its fifth level.

The building forms part of the E-com campus, which is directly linked to SM Mall of Asia through an all-weather bridgeway.

It is also located near Lanson Place, which offers hotel, serviced residence, meeting and event facilities. INQ