The ViA Concept and the ViA Model came was conceptualy innovated and tooke the form of its first legal company back in 2004/2005 in Dubai, UAE (United Arab Emirates) by its Swedish founder Lars Olof Kanngard.
A NEW BEGINNING 2022
The Covid year, soon 2 years has resulted in many changes and within Q4-2021 the 3 partners, Mr. Lars Olof Kanngard, Mr. Mats Engstrom, and Mr. N V Chaturvedi will reboot and rejuvenate ViA, from its new home, Singapore.
ViAcard History
The first operational ViA company was started in Dubai as ViA Emirates LLC, in 2005.
Between 1998 up to 2005 the day-to-day work and pre-investments and planning was made in McGordons LLC, Dubai.
In 2010 the founder and the ViA team identified an opportunity to acquire a card issuer and processing company in Thailand, with all the needed licenses directly from BOT the Bank of Thailand, essential to stand on, to be able to reach out to the targeted market. The ambitions ware, at that time, to firstly get the Thailand market started and expanded and later the region and the world.
The early vision and mission with the ViA Card is as a Smart Chip based Pre-Paid-Cash Card but so much more than 'just' a card to use for payments and transactions.
The ViA Card will be the first of its kind as a Pre-Paid-Cash Card and opens a new dimension for underserved users in the society.
ViA Card is beyond a traditional card-brand also the corporate name for the operation in Thailand: ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd as well as a registered trade/service mark, which you can read more about.
ViA Card and the ViA Model serves all peoples interest, from consumers, merchants, small family corporations, SME's, distributors, suppliers and last but not least important also governments, here you can read more.
Corporate Background - factsheet
ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd is next year celebrating 10 year, which means that the company was
established back in 2005, as Payment Solution Co Ltd.
- Incorporated on 18 January 2005, as “Payment Solution Company Limited” a wholly owned subsidiary of Capital O.K. Co., Ltd. which was a joint venture
- between Shin Corporation pcl (60%) and DBS (40%), with registered capital of Baht 200 million.
- Obtained business license from the Ministry of Finance in June 2005 to engage in the business of electronic payment services.
- Launched “O.K. Cash” pre-paid cards in September 2005.
- During the period of June-September 2005, increased registered capital to Baht 550 million.
- Capital O.K. Co., Ltd. sold all of its shares in Payment Solution to Shin Corporation plc. On 19 November 2007.
- During the period of March – April 2008, increased registered capital to Baht 627 million.
- On 24 April 2008, Shin Corporation plc sold all of its shares in Payment Solution to August Holding Co., Ltd.
- Renamed as Payment Solution 2008 Co., Ltd. on 19 June 2008
- Was acquired in 2010 by a group of investors managed later by ViA Global Holdings AG
- ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd acqured 86% of the shares in Electronic Payment Network (Thailand) Co Ltd on 12 May 2011
- Payment Solution 2008 Co Ltd came to be renamed to ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd on 23 of May 2011
- ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd came to increase the sharecapital on 31 of May 2011 to _________
- ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd moved its main office to Maneeya center, Chid Lom Bangkok on 12 May 2011
ViA Card (Thailand) Co Ltd has a majority owned subsidiary named Electronic Payment network (Thailand) Co Ltd also known as e-Pay also ePay. who operates one
of the larger top-up networks with EDC terminals.
ePay was granted an exclusive right to the ePay trademark, and the ePay software back in 2005 in exchange for shares to ePay Malaysia, you can read
more on
Read more about www.e-pay.company
- Full license from the Ministry of Finance and The Bank of Thailand*
- Issuance of payment cards, stored value cards (points or currencies)
- Operate on-line payment system
- Clearing and settlement
- Network switching
To view the Bank of Thailands
list of payment providers in Thailand, you can
find that here
ViAcard Owners
The founder of the ViA concept Lars Olof Kanngard together with his technology partner Mats Engstrom, decided in September of 2021, that a reboot is needed and that visions and technology need to be complemented with a highly qualified financial expert.
Lars Olof Känngård President, & CVO.
With forty-two years hands-on experience from developing IT transaction based business and telecom solutions, from whiteboard ideas, all the way out to global consumer usage.
- Designed and launched first free e-mail and e-conference system in Sweden for CompuText in 1983.
- Founding member of the Voice-Mail Association (VMA) in 1986, and introduced Voicemail as a new technology and service concept in Europe.
- Founding member of the Arabic Language Working Group of MINC, in October 2000.
- Operated the McGordons Ltd Group of companies, which was started in 1998 and also operated McGordons LLC in Dubai.
- Introduced Voicemail in Europe in mid 1980s, and headed the creation of Value Added Services - VAS (900 different services). He launched these VAS services in more than 10 countries.
Mats Engström Senior Vice President, R&D.
Up to August 2006 Mr. Engström was the CEO of Nerdlabs Consulting, Sweden, Senior Engineer & MIS Manager for Telecom Carrier TeliTel AB Sweden, 1994 - 2002. System & Solution expert, with over 25 year's hands-on experience.
Mr. Engström has been working with Lars Olof Kaanngard's different projects creating companies and global consumer trends since 1983. Mr. Engström has vast experience in building systems from hardware to software, integrating system solutions within corporations in addition to building Value- Added Systems & integrations to various Telecom standards as well as Voicemail and the MiniVoice.
Mr. Engström is the co-invntor of the ViA MiniPay and Chip2Chip patent applied innovation, where his uniqe solution stands for the core technology hight.