Mastercard and Moovn Technologies Strike 5-Year Deal to Scale Digital Payments in East Africa

Mastercard and Moovn Technologies have entered a five-year strategic partnership to scale digital payment infrastructure across East Africa. By integrating Mastercard’s global network with MoovnPay’s wallet ecosystem, the collaboration aims to digitize transactions for SMEs, drivers, and consumers in a region where the digital payments economy is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.

What was announced

The five-year strategic agreement focuses on expanding secure digital payments across East Africa by embedding Mastercard’s capabilities into Moovn’s mobility, logistics, and e-commerce platforms. MoovnPay will now offer a suite of payment tools, including virtual and physical prepaid Mastercard cards, tokenization, and online payment acceptance through Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS). These services are delivered via the Mastercard Merchant Cloud, providing a unified infrastructure for riders, drivers, and small businesses.

The rollout includes the integration of "Pay Local" in Kenya and Tanzania, allowing merchants to accept payments directly from MoovnPay users. Additionally, the partnership leverages Mastercard Move to facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers and eligible cross-border remittances. A central component of this initiative is Shooga, Moovn’s financial inclusion solution designed for P2P payments, fundraising, and donations. Users will be able to access Mastercard prepaid cards within the Shooga digital wallet.

The scale of the opportunity is underscored by data from AfricaNenda’s SIIPS 2025 report, which notes that Africa is home to 36 live instant payment systems processing 64 billion transactions worth nearly $2 trillion in 2024. This commercial phase follows Moovn’s participation in the Mastercard Start Path Emerging Fintech program in September 2025. The collaboration has already seen the launch of MPGS in Kenya, with the next phase set to focus on the Shooga prepaid portfolio and the expansion of wallet capabilities as Moovn scales across the broader East African region.

"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."

Godwin Gabriel, founder and group chief executive, Moovn Technologies

The companies involved

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, operating a vast processing network that connects consumers, financial institutions, and merchants across more than 210 countries and territories. The company has established a significant presence in the African fintech sector, frequently partnering with local startups to modernize payment infrastructure. FF News has tracked Mastercard’s extensive activity in the space, with over 1,000 reports covering its strategic shifts toward tokenization, digital assets, and SME support.

Moovn Technologies is a technology provider focused on building integrated ecosystems for mobility, logistics, and commerce. Led by founder and group chief executive Godwin Gabriel, the company operates MoovnPay and Shooga, platforms designed to drive financial inclusion and digital participation. By combining transport services with financial tools, Moovn positions itself as a "lifestyle ecosystem" provider. The company gained international recognition through its selection for the Mastercard Start Path program, a global initiative that supports high-growth fintech startups. This partnership represents a significant scaling of Moovn's operational footprint from a regional mobility player to a comprehensive financial services provider in East Africa.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has recently covered Mastercard’s deepening focus on the African continent and the security of digital transactions. In October 2026, we reported on the Mastercard Report: Africa’s Digital Economy to Hit $1.5 Trillion by 2030 Amid Rising Cyber Threats, which highlighted the growth potential of the region's digital commerce. We also covered the company's efforts to secure the broader ecosystem in Mastercard Launches Stablecoin Security to Combat Fraud in Digital Asset Payments. Additionally, Mastercard’s work in the virtual card space was highlighted when Stoa Partners with Stripe and Mastercard to Launch Virtual Card Perks for Savers, demonstrating the company's strategy of using card issuance to drive loyalty and utility in digital wallets.

What this means

This agreement signals a shift in how global payment giants are approaching the African market—moving beyond simple card issuance to embedding financial services within "super-app" style mobility platforms. By tying payments to logistics and transport, Mastercard is effectively bypassing traditional banking hurdles to reach the unbanked and underbanked. For the broader industry, this puts pressure on local mobile money incumbents who have long dominated the P2P space but lack the global cross-border rails that Mastercard Move provides. The success of this model will depend on whether integrated "lifestyle" wallets can truly displace the ubiquity of standalone mobile money agents in East Africa.