Telecoms and mobile money services provider, Airtel Africa announced that it is partnering with Mastercard to give over 100 million Airtel Africa mobile phone users across 14 African countries access to Mastercard’s global network.
Through this collaboration, Airtel Money customers – even those without a bank account – should be able to make payments to local and global online merchants that accept Mastercard cards using their own virtual Mastercard. The digital card is said to be secure and private, ensuring that customers’ financial data is protected.
In addition, Airtel Money customers will also be able to make in-person payments at outlets via Quick Response (QR) codes – whereby payments are made from an Airtel mobile phone by scanning the QR code displayed at checkout or by entering a merchant identifier, at any location worldwide that Mastercard QR is accepted. To date, there are over 1 million merchant locations across Africa that accept Mastercard QR payments.
“Airtel and Mastercard have a shared passion for digital transformation and making mobile financial services accessible to everyone across the continent. Through our partnership, we will enable over 100 million Airtel Africa customers to make safe mobile money purchases online and in person,” says Raghunath Mandava, CEO of Airtel Africa.
“The partnership will also significantly bolster Airtel’s position as one of the largest offline-to-online digital payment network in Africa. We are really excited to embark on this partnership with a globally trusted brand like Mastercard. This partnership is truly revolutionary in our market, giving millions of people better access to the digital and online world.”
