SM Offices, Visa ink expansion lease

MANILA, Philippines — SM Offices, the commercial leasing arm of SM Prime Holdings Inc., is supporting global digital payments giant Visa Inc. as it expands its Philippine operations.

SM Offices and Visa have signed an expansion lease to enable the latter to more than double its office footprint at the SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay.

From an approximately 4,000-square-meter facility at Five E-com Center, Visa is relocating to a 9,000-square-meter facility at Four E-com Center, where it has established its Visa Philippines Solution Center.

The new facility integrates administrative, financial and technology functions under a 24/7 operating model, while providing room to scale operations and enhance the employee experience.

“Today’s workplace plays a far more strategic role in organizational performance. Large companies are increasingly looking for spaces that can bring more of their operations together while giving them the flexibility to grow over time,” Alexis Ortiga, vice president and business unit head for SM Offices, said.

SM Offices said Visa’s expansion reflects sustained demand from multinational companies for high-quality office space that can support larger and increasingly integrated operations in the Philippines.

Chari dela Cruz, Visa Philippines Solution Center Site Lead, said expanding to Four E-com Center was a natural decision as the company continues to grow its business and support its people.

“The E-com campus offers a strategic, well-connected location with the accessibility and amenities that make it an ideal environment for our growing team,” she said.

The Four E-com Center is a LEED Gold-certified premium office development with three distinctive crystalline towers and an all-glass façade.

Designed by global architecture firm Arquitectonica, it features a fifth-level open-air sky garden that provides employees and guests an outdoor amenity.

Four E-com Center is part of the E-com campus, directly connected to SM Mall of Asia through an all-weather bridgeway, and just steps from Lanson Place, a hotel and serviced residence with meeting and event facilities.