Mastercard has announced a strategic partnership with enza, a fast-growing payment solutions company, to expand access to embedded payment capabilities for fintech companies across Africa.
The collaboration will connect Africa-based fintech players to Mastercard’s global network, enabling them to deploy secure and scalable financial services for both consumers and businesses.
The initiative is designed to reduce the complexity and time-to-market for fintechs by allowing them to build solutions on the enza platform with embedded Mastercard services.
This includes the ability to issue physical and virtual Mastercard cards, manage consumer and merchant accounts, and enable Mastercard payment acceptance across in-store, online and in-app channels.
According to a recent European Investment Bank report, the number of fintech firms operating in Africa has nearly tripled since 2020.
Many of these firms are focused on integrating payments into broader technology solutions to improve financial access and bypass legacy infrastructure, which is often costly and inefficient.
“At Mastercard, we are focused on powering the fintech ecosystem by enabling access to our trusted global network,” said Mete Guney, Executive Vice President, Market Development, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) at Mastercard. “Through our work with enza, fintech innovators in Africa will be able to deploy embedded payment capabilities more efficiently – helping accelerate financial inclusion and the region’s digital transformation.”
Under the agreement, enza will manage the integration with Mastercard’s network and ensure that all hosted services deliver high levels of security, reliability and system availability. Fintechs will be able to configure pre-paid or post-paid account structures depending on their business models and market needs.
Andrew Key, Executive Director at enza, said “enza is on a mission to make digital payments more accessible and affordable across Africa, helping to build a more financially inclusive continent that is ready and able to compete globally”.
“Our collaboration with Mastercard leverages our existing relationship to more effectively serve the fintech community. Together, we will provide innovators with a platform capability that allows them to reach the market faster and with greater security.”
Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi, enza operates regional offices in Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria. The company’s infrastructure is designed to support rapid innovation and provide the flexibility needed by African fintechs to grow, compete, and serve the unique needs of local markets.
The Mastercard–enza partnership is expected to play a key role in strengthening Africa’s digital economy by empowering a new wave of fintech providers to expand access to modern payment solutions across the continent.
