Mastercard and Moovn Technologies have signed a five-year strategic agreement to expand secure digital payments across East Africa, combining Mastercard’s global payments network with MoovnPay’s integrated wallet ecosystem to serve people and businesses better.
The collaboration will enable MoovnPay to scale a broad portfolio of payment capabilities, including virtual and physical prepaid Mastercard cards, tokenization, online and in-app payment acceptance through Mastercard Payment Gateway Services, available via Mastercard Merchant Cloud, Pay Local, peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers and eligible cross-border remittances. These capabilities will be integrated into Moovn’s mobility, logistics, e-commerce and merchant platforms, giving riders, drivers, merchants, SMEs and other users more ways to pay, get paid and move money.
The opportunity is significant as digital payments become increasingly central to Africa’s economic growth. A Mastercard-commissioned report by Genesis Analytics projects Africa’s digital payments economy to reach US$1.5 trillion by 2030, driven by the continued expansion of digital commerce, cross-border payments and financial technology.
Kenya’s rapidly digitizing SME sector shows this momentum. Mastercard’s 2026 SME Confidence Index found that 95% of Kenyan SMEs accept mobile payments, while 80% identify simple, seamless and user-friendly payment methods as a key requirement for future growth. Across the continent, payment infrastructure is also scaling rapidly, with Africa now home to 36 live instant payment systems across 31 countries, processing more than 64 billion transactions worth close to US$2 trillion in 2024, according to AfricaNenda Foundation’s SIIPS 2025 report.
Shehryar Ali, senior vice president and country manager, East Africa, Mastercard, said: “Payments are increasingly woven into the platforms people use every day to travel, work and trade. Moovn has built an ecosystem that brings mobility, commerce and financial services together, and Mastercard’s global network and secure technology will help extend its reach. Together, we are opening new pathways into the digital economy for consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses across East Africa and beyond.”
MoovnPay and Shooga, Moovn’s financial inclusion solution that enables peer-to-peer payments, fundraising and donations, will sit at the center of the experience, giving users access to Mastercard prepaid cards within a single digital wallet. As Pay Local expands across Kenya and Tanzania, participating merchants will be able to accept payments directly from MoovnPay users. Through Mastercard Move, eligible users will also be able to access more ways to send and receive money across borders, extending MoovnPay’s value beyond mobility and commerce.
Godwin Gabriel, founder and group chief executive, Moovn Technologies, said: “Our collaboration with Mastercard is about building more than a payment product. By connecting MoovnPay, Shooga and our mobility, logistics and commerce platforms to trusted global payment capabilities, we are creating an integrated financial and lifestyle ecosystem where participation and trust can unlock greater access, convenience and opportunity for consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses across Africa.”
The collaboration builds on the relationship built through Mastercard Start Path’s Emerging Fintech program, in which MoovnPay was selected as one of 11 fintechs in September 2025. Since then, the two companies have moved from early engagement into commercial rollout, including Moovn’s launch of MPGS in Kenya. The next phase will focus on launching the Shooga prepaid Mastercard portfolio, advancing Pay Local in Kenya and Tanzania, and expanding MPGS, tokenization and wallet capabilities as Moovn scales across the region.
The move reflects Mastercard’s collaboration-led approach to accelerating digital transformation across Africa. By bringing card issuance, digital payments, merchant acceptance, wallet services, P2P transfers and cross-border money movement together in a single platform, Mastercard and Moovn are building a scalable model for wallet-led growth that can support greater financial inclusion and digital participation across East Africa and other African markets.
For these and more stories, follow us on X (Formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn and Telegram. You can also send us tips or reach out at info@techarena.co.ke.
Also Read: Carrefour, KCB Bank and Mastercard Launch Prepaid Card for Shoppers