Connecting the Falklands

Agency: Harvard PR

The Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory, lies 8,000 miles from London in a remote location. Many of the Islands’ businesses have been cash-only due to complicated banking and compliance considerations and physical hardware issues. This has made it incredibly difficult - sometimes impossible - for businesses to accept card payments.

With only one cash machine and one bank branch on the Islands, residents and the tens of thousands of annual tourists alike were feeling the burden as they queued up at the bank or paid with international currencies. Or worse still, businesses missed out on sales during the busy season. With tourists arriving every summer wanting to pay by card, only dealing in cash had become untenable.

The Falkland Island Government (FIG) approached Mastercard and Square to ask if we could help solve the challenges that made taking cards so uniquely difficult for this remote community.

Over 18 months Square worked tirelessly to support these small businesses and when they came to capture the results - the footage is breathtaking.