Malta team is RS2’s ‘technological engine’ says CEO amid Visa USA partnership

RS2’s Malta-based team plays a central role in powering the company’s core technology infrastructure, underpinning operations worldwide as it collaborates with leading industry players.

Having just announced a partnership with the major payment services multinational Visa USA Inc., RS2 CEO Radi El Haj highlights the role of the Maltese operation in the company’s ongoing global expansion as the central hub which handles core technology and platform development for the entire group.

Headquartered in Malta, the firm operates on a global scale through offices around the world, with hubs in the United States (Denver), the Philippines (Manila), Jordan (Amman) and Germany (Frankfurt). The company is also in the process of expanding a physical footprint in Latin America.

However, Mr El Haj emphasised Malta’s pivotal role in RS2’s global operations, describing it as the “core of our technology.” He highlighted that the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Antoine Cutajar, along with his team, leads the development, enhancement, and continuous support of the RS2 platform.

While the Product and Marketing teams in Germany ensure the solution aligns with evolving market needs, Malta remains the “technological engine of the company”. Mr El Haj also noted that several key leadership figures driving RS2 Smart Processing – one of the company’s core subsidiaries – including the General Manager and other senior team members, are also based in Malta.

In an exclusive interview with MaltaCEOs.mt, Frankfurt-based CEO Radi El Haj, explains how the partnership with Visa was born out of shared relationships with mutual clients.

RS2’s collaboration with Visa

Mr El Haj shared that RS2 has long collaborated with major global card schemes such as Visa, Mastercard and American Express. The relationship with Visa, in particular, evolved organically through mutual engagements where Visa managed the front-end acquiring and RS2 handled the back-end processing.

“We both [RS2 and Visa] realised that we can offer something which the other company doesn’t have, to form one, end-to-end acceptance infrastructure,” Mr El Haj says.

Elaborating on the nature of the collaboration, he described RS2’s role as focused on delivering a robust infrastructure for back-end processing.

“Imagine you’re purchasing something from Amazon,” he says. “Amazon needs a platform capable of handling a secure transaction and processing your payment so you can receive your goods. This front-end part of the transaction is managed by Visa.

“The moment the transaction is initiated, a back-end system is required to validate, authorise and settle the transaction – that’s where we come in,” he continues. “It’s RS2’s responsibility to debit the customer’s bank account and transfer the funds to the merchant, in this case, Amazon, completing the back-end of the payment lifecycle from authorisation to reconciliation.”

This “purely processing-focused” partnership between Visa and RS2 enables them to offer an integrated, end-to-end solution that allows RS2 to support acquirers like banks or work directly with large licensed merchants, fintechs and payment service providers (PSPs), operating on a single platform.

RS2’s partnership with Visa is not exclusive, but part of a broader strategy designed to accelerate international market penetration without the extensive resource investment typically required, also working with fintechs, financial institutions and card schemes.

Last year, RS2 entered into a strategic partnership with ACI, a Nasdaq-listed global leader in real-time payments. Together, they launched a one-stop solution for the Brazilian market, enabling customers to transact when, where, and how they prefer.

“By not limiting ourselves to a single region, entity or type of business, we remain flexible – and by partnering with the right collaborators, we’re able to deliver a truly superior product,” Mr El Haj remarked.

A personal reflection

Reflecting on the Visa collaboration, Mr El Haj described it as a strong validation of the company’s work over the past three decades – an achievement he attributes to the wider RS2 team.

“This isn’t just my success. It’s a collective achievement. As CEO, I guide the vision and strategy, but execution comes from an incredible leadership team,” he stressed.

He explains that working closely with most C-level leaders within RS2 for 20 years, fosters alignment across teams, encouraging mutual support and driving both clarity and innovation.

“What excites me the most isn’t just the Visa brand, it’s what the collaboration represents: a recognition of our platform’s strength and the trust we’ve earned.”