Mastercard and Tamatem Partner to Transform Mobile Gaming Payments Across MENA and Africa

Mastercard has integrated its global payment gateway into Tamatem Plus, the digital commerce arm of MENA mobile games publisher Tamatem. This partnership addresses the fragmented payment landscape in the Middle East and Africa, providing a unified infrastructure for gaming companies to manage cross-border transactions and localized payment methods across more than 13 regional markets.

What was announced

Mastercard Gateway, accessible through the Mastercard Merchant Cloud, will now serve as the primary payment processing engine for Tamatem Plus. This white-label marketplace and commerce platform is designed to help international game publishers navigate the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The rollout begins in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before expanding to more than 13 markets across the territory.

The integration allows players to access localized storefronts and in-game checkout experiences. These channels support a variety of payment options, including traditional cards, local alternative payment methods (APMs), and telco wallet balances. By utilizing Mastercard’s unified open acceptance framework, Tamatem Plus gains access to modular solutions such as agentic commerce, tokenization, and advanced fraud protection. This technical stack is intended to reduce friction for merchants while securing transaction processing across mobile apps and websites.

The move comes as the MENA gaming sector shows significant growth, with market value reaching approximately $7.1 billion in 2025, representing a 7.5% year-on-year increase. For publishers, the collaboration provides a direct-to-consumer channel, allowing for greater control over branding and player relationships. Tamatem Plus currently powers over 30 localized storefronts and offers access to more than 50 local payment methods through a single integration. As a direct Mastercard Gateway partner, the platform will also receive 24/7 technical support and connections to various local and international acquirers to develop local capabilities.

"When we started Tamatem in 2013, our belief was simple: MENA deserves world-class gaming built for our language and our culture. Today, enhancing the payment experience behind the games millions of people across our region love is the natural next chapter of that mission. Partnering with Mastercard is a proud moment for every person at Tamatem and a signal of what homegrown Arab technology can achieve on the global stage. Together, we are making it simpler and more secure for every gamer in the region to play, pay and belong,"

Hussam Hammo, founder and CEO at Tamatem.

The companies involved

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry, operating a vast processing network that connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, and governments in more than 210 countries and territories. The company has established itself as a central pillar of the digital economy, frequently expanding its reach through modular payment solutions and cloud-based frameworks like the Mastercard Merchant Cloud. It focuses on connecting users to specific passion points, such as gaming, through digitized payment innovation.

Tamatem, founded in 2013, is a prominent mobile games publisher focused on the Middle East and North Africa. The company specializes in localizing international games for the Arabic-speaking market, ensuring cultural and linguistic relevance. Tamatem is backed by significant regional entities, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Abu Dhabi Gaming (ADG). Its subsidiary, Tamatem Plus, operates as a specialized digital commerce and payments platform. This arm of the business is specifically designed to remove the complexity of the fragmented MENA payment landscape, providing a single point of entry for global gaming and digital-content companies looking to monetize their products across diverse regional markets.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has extensively tracked Mastercard’s expansion of digital payment services and its push into automated commerce. Recently, we covered how Wio Bank Becomes First UAE Issuer to Auto-Enable Mastercard Click to Pay, highlighting the company's focus on frictionless checkout in the Emirates. Mastercard’s involvement in the broader financial ecosystem was also noted when Kroger Partners with Imprint and Mastercard to Launch High-Yield Rewards Credit Card. Furthermore, Mastercard’s infrastructure supports various fintech innovations, as seen when LoanPro Launches AI Servicing Agents and Real-Time Card Disbursements for Lenders and Corpay Expands AI Agent Suite to Automate Corporate Spend and Accounting Workflows.

What this means

This partnership highlights the growing necessity for "hyper-localization" in the global gaming industry. While major publishers have the content, the fragmented nature of MEA payments—ranging from high card penetration in the UAE to heavy reliance on telco billing in other markets—remains a significant barrier to entry. By embedding Mastercard’s gateway into a regional specialist like Tamatem, the industry is moving toward a model where global financial giants provide the underlying infrastructure while local players provide the cultural and regulatory navigation. This puts pressure on traditional regional banks to offer more competitive merchant services or risk being bypassed by unified, cloud-based gateway solutions that offer faster speed-to-market for international brands.