According to a report by the European Investment Bank, the number of fintech companies in Africa has nearly tripled since 2020.

Many of these innovators focus on embedding payment services into broader solutions that tackle financial access, offering alternatives to legacy systems that often have a high cost to serve.

, a payment solutions company, have partnered to connect fintech companies in Africa to the allowing them to develop integrated payment solutions.

Founded in 2023, enza is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with regional offices in Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria. The company’s innovative payment infrastructure delivers the flexibility and agility needed to increase competitiveness, capitalize on new markets, and develop new revenue streams through better serving consumer and business customers across Africa.

Fintech companies in Africa will now be able to easily access the full suite of Mastercard services. The collaboration aims to reduce complexity and speed up time to market for emerging players building digital financial solutions across the continent. enza will manage Mastercard’s network integration, host consumer and merchant accounts, and ensure security. Fintech companies can configure accounts, issue cards, and accept payments across in-store, online, and in-app channels.

“At Mastercard, we are focused on powering the fintech ecosystem by enabling access to our trusted global network. 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,”

“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 means they do not need to build this aspect of their proposition and can get to market with greater speed and security,”