The largest bank of Hong Kong, HSBC has tied-up with Visa to issue debit cards to its new customers in about 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

President of Visa Inc, Hans Morris said: "This deal expands the relationship between two global leaders, HSBC and Visa, in some of the fastest-growing areas in the world."

The five-year regional agreement between the two parties represents HSBC's current credit card issuing relationship with Visa and its further expansion plans. Visa aims to help clients in expanding their business by combining its global brand and payments expertise with strong local market understanding, said a press release of Visa Inc.

In June 2008, the number of Visa debit cards floating across the globe was noted to be around 847 million. These cards represent more than $2.1 trillion in total volume. Now HSBC plans to issue more than 10 million debit cards in these countries including India.

HSBC NRI centers are located in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Europe andcredit  North America and they provide full range of personal and private banking products in India and overseas.

Presently, HSBC Group has more than 9,500 offices in 85 countries and territories.

Visa Inc. operates the world's largest retail electronic payments network and is one of the most recognized global financial services brands. It manages payments among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses and government entities. It offers branded payment product platforms like consumer credit, debit, prepaid and commercial payments.

VISA provides secure, convenient and reliable payment options in 170 countries and territories.