Nairobi — MASTERCARD on Tuesday held its first-ever Africa Edge Summit in Nairobi, Kenya bringing together leaders from across the continent’s payments ecosystem to explore how collaboration and innovation can accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.
The high-level forum focused on strengthening the infrastructure, trust and interoperability needed to sustain Africa’s fastgrowing digital economy projected to reach 1.5 trillion US dollars by 2030, while unlocking new opportunities for consumers and small businesses.
Hosted by Mark Elliott, Division President for Africa at Mastercard, the event convened senior representatives from banks, fintechs, telcos, regulators and technology partners.
Discussions, according to a press release, centred on expanding low-cost payment acceptance, improving interoperability and enhancing security at scale to build a more inclusive and resilient economy.
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With internet penetration on the continent expected to rise by 20 per cent annually, participants agreed that seamless, secure and connected payment systems are key to sustaining digital growth and fostering trade and entrepreneurship.
During the summit, Mastercard unveiled two major innovations shaping the future of digital commerce. The first-ever Agent Pay transaction in EEMEA was executed live, demonstrating a leap toward autonomous, secure and accessible payment experiences.
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The company also introduced the Merchant Cloud, a unified platform that integrates payments, AI and security tools to help merchants grow their businesses confidently across digital and physical channels. Both initiatives, Mastercard said, reaffirm its commitment to building intelligent and inclusive payment ecosystems powering Africa’s digital transformation.
“Africa Edge is a reflection of Mastercard’s long-term commitment to this continent,” said Mark Elliott, Division President for Africa. “It is about collaboration and supporting partners across the ecosystem to deliver secure, seamless and accessible digital experiences that help people and businesses grow.
Africa’s digital economy is scaling fast and Mastercard is proud to be a trusted technology partner helping power that growth.” Throughout the day, panelists emphasised the growing importance of payment immediacy and liquidity, noting that sameday settlements help small businesses absorb shocks, reduce borrowing needs and reinvest more quickly.
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South Africa’s real-time clearing system was highlighted as a model as Mastercard expands instantpayment capabilities across African markets. Ling Hai, President for APEMEA at Mastercard, underscored the role of faster payments in supporting small businesses: “Africa’s digital future depends on simple, safe and accessible payment solutions that work across markets and devices.
Closer collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential to ensure innovation benefits everyone.” Keynote speaker and futurist John Sanei explored how adaptability and emotional intelligence will define leadership success in an era of AI-driven change.
A spotlight session with Smile ID tackled the growing risks of synthetic identities and deepfakes, showing how Mastercard and Smile ID are using AI-powered liveness checks to strengthen digital onboarding and curb fraud across African markets. Shehryar Ali, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, said:
“East Africa has long led the world in mobile payments. We’re building on that foundation by linking ecosystems like Airtel Money, MTN Momo, Mixx by Yas and M-PESA to global payment rails.
With 91 percent of Kenyan SMEs already using digital payments, the region continues to set the pace for Africa’s 1.5 trillion US dollars digital economy opportunity.” The summit concluded with an awards ceremony and gala dinner honouring Mastercard’s partners and customers who are driving innovation and inclusion across Africa’s digital economy.