Mastercard has expanded its acceptance network across Africa by 45 per cent in 2025, a development the company says has brought millions of consumers and small businesses into the continent’s growing digital economy.
The company said the expansion reflects accelerated growth in digital payments, technology, and innovation across Africa, driven by new market entries, increased investment, product innovation, and a broader on-ground presence. Mastercard projects Africa’s digital payments market to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.
Over the past two years, Mastercard has deepened its footprint on the continent with the opening of new offices in Ghana, Uganda, and Mauritius, and plans to enter additional markets in 2026.
Its workforce across Africa has also grown by nearly 20 per cent, aimed at strengthening local capacity and supporting the development of solutions tailored to local market needs.
As part of its expansion, the company said it has upgraded digital infrastructure, including tokenisation, digital identity capabilities, and virtual card services, to enhance security, trust and convenience in both online and in-person transactions.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain central to Mastercard’s Africa strategy. With consumer spending expected to rise in key markets—Kenya (4%), Morocco (3.4%), Nigeria (6%) and South Africa (1.9%)—the company noted growing demand for digital payment and business management tools among SMEs.
Mastercard said it is supporting SMEs through solutions such as tap-on-phone technology, the Mastercard Payment Gateway System for e-commerce, QR payment options, point-of-sale systems and virtual card issuance tools.
Through collaborations with governments, FMCGs and telecom companies, the firm has launched 15 SME-focused programmes across Africa in the past 18 months.
In South Africa, Mastercard said it is working with financial and non-financial partners to improve access to credit and support SME growth. In Morocco, the company co-developed the country’s first digital marketplace with BCP, the Ministry of Handicrafts and Paysky, targeting 2.3 million artisans.
In Nigeria, new QR-on-card solutions introduced with UBA and WEMA are supporting 1.8 million SMEs and gig workers, while USD card products with Zenith Bank are enabling more than 50,000 SMEs to engage in cross-border trade. Similar collaborations in Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania are supporting over 200,000 SMEs.
The company is also pursuing financial inclusion initiatives in underserved communities through its Community Pass platform, which connects rural populations to government, NGO and private-sector services. Mastercard aims to register 15 million African users on the platform within five years and said the initiative has already reached 1.2 million smallholder farmers in Uganda.
Through the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance, launched in May 2024, Mastercard and its partners aim to expand access to digital services for 100 million individuals and businesses by 2034. In Kenya, the alliance has supported affordable high-speed internet and digital training for 13 cooperatives, digitised profiles for more than 80,000 farmers and built capacity for 250,000 farmers through cooperative partners.
Commenting on the developments, Mark Elliott, Division President for Africa at Mastercard, said: “2025 has been a defining year for Mastercard in Africa. From acceptance growth to new digital capabilities, our focus has been on solutions that bring people and small businesses into the heart of the digital economy.”
Mohamed Benomar, Country Manager for North West Africa, said North Africa’s fintech ecosystem and infrastructure position the region as “a critical engine for digital commerce.” Shehryar Ali, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, said East Africa continued to lead in digital financial inclusion, while Folasade Femi-Lawal, Country Manager for West Africa, described the sub-region as “one of the continent’s fastest-growing digital corridors.”
Looking ahead, Mastercard said emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and agentic commerce are expected to shape the next phase of digital growth, with Africa’s AI market projected to reach $16.5 billion by 2030. The company said it plans to continue expanding across African markets in 2026 while investing in secure and inclusive digital infrastructure.
