Mastercard, Moovn Sign Five-Year Deal to Expand Digital Payments in Kenya, East Africa

Mastercard and Moovn Technologies have entered a five-year strategic partnership to introduce prepaid cards, digital wallet payments and cross-border money transfers, with planned expansion of merchant payment services across Kenya and Tanzania.

Mastercard and Moovn Technologies have signed a five-year agreement aimed at expanding digital payment services across East Africa, bringing prepaid payment cards, money transfers and merchant services into Moovn’s mobility, logistics and e-commerce platforms.

The partnership will enable MoovnPay users to access virtual and physical prepaid Mastercard cards, online and in-app payments, peer-to-peer transfers, tokenisation and eligible international remittances.

The companies plan to integrate these services into their existing platforms, targeting drivers, riders, merchants, small businesses and other consumers seeking digital payment options.

The agreement comes amid growing adoption of digital payments across Africa, where mobile money, electronic commerce and instant payment systems are reshaping how consumers and businesses transact.

Kenya’s SMEs drive demand for digital payments

According to Mastercard’s 2026 SME Confidence Index, 95% of small and medium-sized enterprises in Kenya accept mobile payments, while 80% identify simple, user-friendly payment methods as a key requirement for future growth.

The figures highlight the importance of accessible payment systems for businesses seeking to serve customers and manage transactions.

A separate report commissioned by Mastercard and prepared by Genesis Analytics projects that Africa’s digital payments economy will reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, supported by growth in digital commerce, cross-border transactions and financial technology.

Meanwhile, the AfricaNenda Foundation’s SIIPS 2025 report found that Africa had 36 live instant payment systems across 31 countries in 2024. These systems processed more than 64 billion transactions valued at nearly $2 trillion.

The figures provide a broader context for the Mastercard-Moovn agreement, although the reports do not establish how much additional payment activity the partnership itself will generate.

MoovnPay to combine prepaid cards and digital wallet services

MoovnPay and Shooga, Moovn’s financial inclusion platform for peer-to-peer payments, fundraising and donations, will form the core of the proposed offering.

Users will be able to access Mastercard prepaid cards through a single digital wallet, according to the announcement.

The arrangement is intended to connect payment services with Moovn’s wider mobility and commerce operations, potentially allowing users to access financial services through platforms they already use.

Mastercard’s network will support card-based transactions, while the planned services will also include online payments and transfers between individuals.

The companies have not provided a detailed rollout timetable, transaction limits, card fees or eligibility requirements in the supplied announcement.

Pay Local expansion planned for Kenya and Tanzania

The agreement also includes plans to expand Pay Local, a service that enables participating merchants to accept payments from MoovnPay users, across Kenya and Tanzania.

For participating businesses, the proposed expansion would extend the availability of the service beyond its existing coverage. However, the announcement does not specify which merchants will join, how many businesses will be covered or when the expansion will be completed.

The partnership will also use Mastercard Move to support eligible cross-border money transfers, allowing users to send and receive funds beyond Moovn’s mobility and commerce services.

The availability of particular transfer corridors and services will depend on the applicable eligibility and operational arrangements.

Mastercard and Moovn outline financial inclusion ambitions

Mastercard’s Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa, Shehryar Ali, said the agreement reflected the growing role of payments in everyday economic activity.

“Payments are increasingly woven into the platforms people use every day to travel, work and trade,” Ali said.

He said the partnership would extend access to digital financial services for consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses.

Moovn Technologies founder and Group Chief Executive Godwin Gabriel said the collaboration was intended to connect the company’s financial services with its mobility, logistics and commerce platforms.

“Our collaboration with Mastercard is about building more than a payment product,” Gabriel said.

He said the partnership would seek to improve access and convenience for consumers and businesses.

Partnership follows MoovnPay’s fintech programme selection

The agreement builds on MoovnPay’s selection for Mastercard Start Path’s Emerging Fintech programme in September 2025.

MoovnPay was among 11 fintech companies selected for the initiative at the time. The companies have since advanced their relationship towards commercial deployment, according to the supplied report.

The five-year agreement establishes a framework for expanding their collaboration, but the scale of adoption, implementation schedule and commercial impact remain to be established.

Further details on the launch of individual services and their availability to users will help clarify how the partnership translates into practical payment

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