CorporatePay, a UK-based provider of corporate, public sector and consumer pre-paid card programmes, has entered into a partnership with the Small World Financial Services to provide a pre-paid MasterCard card.

Small World is a money transfer operator in Europe, sending money to over 100 countries worldwide through a number of brands, including LCC, UNO Money Transfer, Global Link International, Express Funds, Universal de Envios and Bayba.

CorporatePay said that the first card programme, issued through Newcastle Building Society, will go live in March 2009 carrying the LCC brand and will be distributed through LCC’s UK network of branches and agents, soon to be extended to its website.

The first card programmes will be for LCC and Global Link, two of the larger companies in the group. CorporatePay expects several thousand cards to be issued during 2009 through these businesses alone and said that it will continue to roll out the card programmes across the other subsidiaries.

Myles Stephenson, CEO of CorporatePay, said: Small World is an exciting group with impressive international growth. This pre-paid card will be a great benefit to many of their customers; it will give them access to simple functions such as being able to share, spend and withdraw money.

Nick Day, managing director of Small World, said: The launch of our pre-paid MasterCard card was a priority for Small World during 2009. There is a clear demand from our customers and this enables us not simply to offer them an additional service but to become the solution of choice for European ethnic communities looking for retail financial services.