The essentials in brief:

• Charitable payment: At VERD, the transaction fees flow back into the towns and districts of the cardholders - they decide which projects are financed.

• Available online immediately: Through the Payrexx integration, VERD.cash can be used immediately in thousands of Swiss webshops.

• Attractive conditions: For Comerciante, payments cost only 0.6% in-store or via Payrexx QR Pay and 0.85% online.

• Value-based: VERD and Payrexx share the focus on regionalism, sustainability, and SMEs.

"VERD is like a toolbox," says Christian Wohlwend, founder and initiator of the VERD cooperative, "and with the tools contained in it, anyone can generate money for their own village." Andrea Bargetzi, managing director of VERD.cash, speaks: "The payment method VERD.cash is precisely one of these tools. Every payment with VERD.cash generates money, which is later distributed through the VERD cooperative. This supports projects and investments in lively towns and districts."

For users, VERD behaves like a prepaid debit card: pay contactlessly in-store and enter the card details online - with one crucial difference. The fees collected do not go to anonymous networks, but flow back into local projects, into the towns and districts, through the VERD cooperative. You can become a member of the cooperative when ordering the free card by paying a one-time amount of 5 francs.

For Comerciante, VERD is characterised by low transaction fees: In-store, you pay only 0.6 percent per payment - significantly less than with other payment methods. VERD also strengthens the local profile of shops, restaurants, and hotels. Those who accept VERD visibly support regional values - and reach a customer base that pays consciously for charity.

In the past few months, VERD has noticeably gained momentum: Over 400 cards have been activated, more than 2200 transactions carried out, over 140,000 EUR has been deposited into the card accounts, and approximately 100 businesses now accept VERD. The online launch is the next logical step.

Entry into e-commerce thanks to exclusive partnership

Together with the Thun-based payment provider Payrexx, VERD.cash will soon be available not only at the local shop but also online. Through integration into all Payrexx products and services, around 7,000 Swiss Comerciante will have access to VERD.cash and can let their customers pay with the orange card. To support VERD's charitable concept, Payrexx also covers all costs incurred and carries out the entire integration on a pro bono basis. For online payments, the transaction costs are only 0.85%.

"VERD and Payrexx have many commonalities," explains Ivan Schmid, founder and CEO of Payrexx AG, who initiated the collaboration with VERD. "Both companies want to support small and medium-sized enterprises, both care about the region, and both want to initiate a change in the traditional payment business. A collaboration was therefore only logical for us."

According to Christian Wohlwend, it makes sense for VERD to tackle online commerce as early as possible: "A lively village needs lively businesses, and many local shops nowadays already have an online shop. This way, they can offer their products and services independently of opening hours." Through integration into the Payrexx network, regional businesses could increase their visibility. "Moreover, it is also about autonomy," emphasises Andrea Bargetzi, "users should be able to decide for themselves how or where to shop. No one should be forced to go to the shop to support their village."