Mastercard Shapes the Future of Digital Payments in Africa at the Africa Edge 2025 Summit
Mastercard organized its first-ever summit titled “Africa Edge 2025,” bringing together leading figures from the payments and fintech ecosystem across Africa. The event aimed to explore new avenues for digital growth and promote financial inclusion through innovation and collaboration.
The summit focused on developing financial infrastructure and enhancing interoperability among payment systems to accelerate the transition toward an integrated digital economy expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.
Summit Focus and Objectives
Discussions centered on expanding low-cost acceptance solutions and improving payment security across the continent, leveraging the rapid growth in internet usage, which is increasing at an annual rate of about 20%. Participants emphasized that building a connected and secure payment ecosystem is the cornerstone for the growth of e-commerce and entrepreneurship in Africa, marking a vital step toward a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
New Technological Innovations
Mastercard announced two major innovations that are set to redefine the future of digital payments in the region:
- Agent Pay, which recently completed its first transaction in the Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. This represents a major step forward in creating seamless, secure, and accessible self-service payment experiences.
- Merchant Cloud, a unified platform powered by artificial intelligence, security technologies, and cloud-based payments, designed to help merchants manage their operations and expand confidently in a multi-channel digital environment.
These innovations reaffirm Mastercard’s commitment to building smart, connected payment systems that keep pace with Africa’s rapid digital transformation.
Insights on Instant Payments
The sessions highlighted the importance of real-time payments and instant settlement systems in strengthening the resilience of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enabling them to manage cash flows and reduce dependence on external financing. South Africa’s real-time settlement systems were presented as a leading model being expanded into other African markets, enhancing cross-border transaction efficiency and enabling faster reinvestment of profits into economic activities.
Innovation and Digital Identity
The summit also addressed challenges related to fake identities and image fraud in digital environments, showcasing the role of AI-based identity verification technologies in protecting users and strengthening trust in electronic payments. Other sessions explored the role of emotional intelligence and human capabilities in shaping future leadership models within an AI-driven digital world—redefining the relationship between technology and human innovation.
Regional Experiences and Digital Transformation
The summit showcased diverse experiences across African regions:
- East Africa is a global leader in mobile payments, with systems such as Airtel Money, MTN Momo, and M-PESA expanding their reach into international payment networks.
- In Kenya, an estimated 91% of SMEs rely on digital payments as a key business management tool.
- In South Africa, real-time payment solutions have transformed cash flow management and e-commerce, which is projected to exceed 130 billion rand by 2025.
- West Africa is among the world’s fastest-growing fintech regions—Nigeria alone accounted for around 28% of African fintech firms in 2024, attracting investments exceeding $400 million.
Africa Edge 2025 highlighted Mastercard’s vision to advance Africa’s digital transformation by merging global technology with local insights and building an open, secure, and scalable payments ecosystem. This initiative aligns with the company’s commitment to supporting inclusive economic growth and expanding digital participation for individuals and SMEs across the continent.
