Visa Expands Visa Pay to Additional Issuers Across Africa and Central Asia, Accelerating Digital Payments Access
- Banks, mobile money operators and fintechs are expanding access to e-commerce, remittances and digital disbursements through mobile-first virtual card experiences.
- Through an SDK, issuers embed Visa Pay capabilities into their existing mobile applications and launch virtual cards and payment experiences quickly and securely.
July 1, 2026 — Visa is expanding access to Visa Pay for additional issuers across Africa and Central Asia through a software development kit (SDK) that helps banks, mobile money operators and fintechs embed Visa Pay capabilities into their existing mobile applications and launch virtual cards and payment experiences quickly and securely.
Visa Pay is an interoperable and secure way for banked and unbanked consumers to pay, get paid, and move money across participating banks, fintechs and mobile networks. With integrated issuer processing capabilities, built-in customer experience, tokenization readiness and Visa-certified security and compliance components, the SDK helps accelerate and simplify the deployment of Visa Pay, particularly in markets where infrastructure constraints can slow digital transformation.
Supporting Diverse Payment Needs Across Markets
Issuers adopting Visa Pay's SDK today span multiple markets across Africa and Central Asia, including Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Comoros, Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan. Partners range from banks and mobile money operators to fintechs and licensed payment service providers.
Visa Pay supports a range of digital payment use cases, including e-commerce and remittances, mobile money-linked virtual cards, virtual card issuance, humanitarian disbursements and processing enablement.
Looking ahead, Visa Pay will continue to evolve with new capabilities designed to further simplify everyday payments. Among the features expected to launch soon is Tap to Pay, which will enable consumers to make secure contactless payments by simply tapping their phone at a contactless-enabled checkout terminal.
"Visa Pay is designed to help issuers meet a wide range of market needs, from secure e-commerce and remittances to mobile money-linked virtual cards, humanitarian disbursements, person-to-person payments and future contactless experiences,” said Godfrey Sullivan, Senior Vice President and Head of Products and Solutions for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Visa. “By embedding these capabilities directly into existing mobile applications, Visa Pay’s SDK helps banks, mobile money operators and fintechs bring trusted digital payment experiences to consumers faster, while unlocking new opportunities for growth across domestic and cross-border use cases.”
“Visa Pay’s ability to connect multiple payment methods through a trusted global network aligns well with our strategy of enabling broader access to digital payments while maintaining high standards of security, reliability, and user experience” said John Vandi, Head of Project Management and Governance, Access Bank, Sierra Leone.
“The adoption of Visa Pay represents an important step in strengthening our digital payments capabilities and supporting our broader digital transformation agenda. At a time when Sudan's current challenges have increased the need for resilient and accessible financial services, we believe digital payment solutions play a critical role in enhancing customer convenience, supporting business continuity, and promoting financial inclusion” said Mr. Yousif Eltinay, Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Bank, Sudan.
“Through Visa Pay, FIB customers will be able to seamlessly perform e-commerce and P2P transactions using virtual Visa cards linked directly to their accounts, enabling secure online payments both locally and internationally. Visa Pay stood out due to its seamless user experience, robust security and compliance standards, SDK-based integration model, and access to Visa’s global acceptance network. The platform’s flexibility, scalability, and interoperability provide a strong foundation for future payment innovations and support the bank’s long-term growth objectives” said Ahmed Gaafar Abdelrahim Hassa, Director, Faisal Islamic Bank, Sudan.
“Visa Pay will play a central role in advancing our digital transformation agenda, enabling us to deliver more secure, convenient, and inclusive payment experiences for our customers. Over time, we expect it to drive greater customer engagement, expand our digital ecosystem, and unlock new revenue opportunities across both domestic and cross-border use cases” said Gazza Motswagole, Commercial and Marketing Director, Orange Money, Botswana.
“From a business perspective, Visa Pay will help us accelerate digital adoption among both consumers and merchants, increase transaction activity within our ecosystem, expand merchant acceptance and strengthen customer engagement. It also supports our broader goal of driving financial inclusion by bringing more individuals and businesses into the digital economy” said Jesse Jackson, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, Tanzania Commercial Bank.
“Visa Pay provides advanced capabilities such as tokenization, enhanced security, digital credential management, and support for next-generation payment experiences. These capabilities align perfectly with our strategy of building a modern, scalable, and interoperable payment ecosystem” said Ally Raheemeea, Chief Executive Officer EZ Dash Ltd, Mauritius.
“In July 2026, HesabPay plans to launch up to 1 million Visa cards for customers in Afghanistan through Visa Pay, which has enabled us to scale quickly without relying on multiple third-party vendors for card management, processing, 3-D Secure and other capabilities,” said Sanzar Kakar, Chairman, HesabPay, Afghanistan.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.