MANILA, Philippines - Visa International has recognized Sterling Bank of Asia as the ‘2013 Best Performer Visa Prepaid Payment Volume Growth in the Philippines’ and ‘2013 Highest Payment Volume Prepaid Issuer.’ Sterling Bank of Asia is the first local bank to issue prepaid Visa cards embedded with EMV chips, the global standard for chip-based credit and debit transactions that is more secure than magnetic stripe cards. In photo (from left) Visa Group country manager for Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam, Gordon Cooper, Sterling Bank product management head Charles R. Tan, Sterling Bank president and chief executive officer Lamberto R. Villena, Sterling Bank executive vice president Benson J. Hari-Ong, Sterling Bank assistant vice president Georgina H. Cortes, Sterling Bank product management associate Jesica I. Ayson, and Visa country manager for Philippines and Guam, Stuart Tomlinson.