Mastercard said on Tuesday it expanded its acceptance network across Africa by 45% in 2025, boosting access to digital payments for consumers and small businesses as the continent accelerates its shift toward a cash-light economy.
The payments company said the growth was driven by new market entries, expanded partnerships and increased investment in digital infrastructure, supporting Africa’s projected $1.5 trillion digital payments market by 2030.
Over the past two years, Mastercard has opened new offices in Ghana, Uganda and Mauritius and plans to enter additional African markets in 2026. It also increased its workforce across the continent by nearly 20%, strengthening local capabilities to develop market-specific payment solutions.
Mastercard said it upgraded core infrastructure during the year, including tokenisation, digital identity and virtual card capabilities, aimed at improving security and convenience across online and in-store transactions.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain a central focus, the company said, as rising consumer spending in key markets such as Kenya, Nigeria, Morocco and South Africa drives demand for digital payment tools.
The company has rolled out solutions including tap-on-phone payments, e-commerce gateways, QR-based payments, point-of-sale systems and virtual card issuance, and launched 15 SME-focused programmes across Africa in the past 18 months through partnerships with banks, governments and telecoms firms.
In Nigeria, Mastercard said QR-on-card solutions launched with UBA and Wema Bank now support about 1.8 million SMEs and gig workers, while U.S. dollar-denominated cards issued with Zenith Bank are helping more than 50,000 businesses trade across borders.
In Morocco, Mastercard co-developed a national digital marketplace with Banque Centrale Populaire and partners, benefiting 2.3 million artisans. In Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania, partnerships with local banks have supported more than 200,000 SMEs, it said.
Mastercard is also expanding financial inclusion efforts through its Community Pass platform, which connects rural and underserved communities to digital services. The company said Community Pass has reached 1.2 million smallholder farmers in Uganda and aims to enrol 15 million users across Africa within five years.
Through the Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE) Alliance, Mastercard and its partners aim to extend digital access to 100 million people and businesses by 2034. Since its launch in 2024, the initiative has supported farmer digitisation and digital training programmes in Kenya.
“2025 has been a defining year for Mastercard in Africa,” said Mark Elliott, Mastercard’s Africa division president, adding that the company would continue to focus on expanding financial inclusion and digital acceptance across the continent.
Mastercard said it expects artificial intelligence and automated commerce technologies to drive the next phase of Africa’s digital economy, with the regional AI market projected to reach $16.5 billion by 2030.
