Kenya, 5 November 2025- Mastercard has kicked off a major new push into Africa’s fast-growing digital economy, showcasing two cutting-edge payment technologies during its inaugural Africa Edge Summit held in Nairobi this week.
The event brought together a diverse mix of stakeholders, from banks and fintech firms to telecom operators and regulators , to discuss how to build a more connected, inclusive, and secure digital payments ecosystem across the continent.
Industry leaders at the summit pointed to a staggering opportunity: Africa’s digital economy could be worth $1.5 trillion by 2030, provided key infrastructure challenges are addressed. With internet access projected to expand by roughly 20% per year, the discussions zeroed in on three major hurdles , making payment acceptance more affordable for small businesses, improving system interoperability, and scaling up cybersecurity.
Mastercard used the Nairobi gathering to debut two new products aimed at transforming how African businesses handle digital payments:
- Merchant Cloud: A unified backend system designed for merchants, offering integrated payment processing, AI-driven analytics, and advanced security tools. It allows businesses to manage both in-store and online transactions seamlessly.
- Agent Pay: Demonstrated live at the event, this technology enables secure, real-time agent-based payments , the first of its kind in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA) region. The feature is expected to strengthen the continent’s vast network of mobile money and banking agents.
Mark Elliott, Mastercard’s Division President for Africa, described the initiative as part of a “long-term partnership approach” to unlock Africa’s digital potential through collaboration and innovation.
Throughout the summit, one theme dominated discussions: speed and security.Speakers emphasized that instant or same-day settlements are vital for small businesses to manage liquidity and sustain growth. South Africa’s real-time clearing infrastructure was repeatedly held up as an example that Mastercard hopes to replicate across more markets.
Ling Hai, Mastercard’s President for the APEMEA region, underscored the importance of cooperation between governments and private players to make new financial tools “simple, safe, and accessible.”
Another major topic was the rise of AI-powered fraud, from deepfakes to synthetic identities. Mastercard highlighted its partnership with Smile ID, an African identity verification company, to deploy AI-based liveness checks and advanced verification systems to strengthen digital onboarding and fraud prevention.
Executives were quick to clarify that Mastercard’s expansion strategy in Africa is about connecting existing ecosystems, not disrupting them. Shehryar Ali, Mastercard’s Country Manager for East Africa, praised the region’s leadership in mobile payments, citing Kenya’s dominance in digital commerce where over 90% of SMEs now accept digital payments.
“Our goal is to connect ecosystems like M-PESA, Airtel Money, MTN Momo, and Mixx by Yas to global payment rails,” Ali said. “That’s how we build scale and inclusion.”
The summit wrapped up with a gala event recognizing key partners and innovators shaping Africa’s financial future.
