Mastercard Partners with Mojaloop and AfricaNenda to Secure African Instant Payments

Mastercard is integrating its AI-driven fraud prevention technology into Africa’s burgeoning instant payment landscape through new partnerships with the Mojaloop Foundation and AfricaNenda Foundation. By addressing the security gaps in account-to-account transactions, the collaboration aims to stabilize a digital economy that processed $2 trillion in 2024 while protecting users from rising scam rates.

What was announced

The collaboration focuses on the expansion of secure, interoperable payment systems across the African continent. Mastercard will work with the Mojaloop Foundation to explore how the Mastercard A2A Protect solution can be integrated into Mojaloop’s open-source payment infrastructure. This AI-powered tool provides real-time risk scoring, mule account intelligence, and dispute resolution services. The goal is to provide account-to-account (A2A) payments with the same level of consumer protection typically associated with card-based transactions.

The scale of the opportunity is significant: Africa currently hosts 36 live instant payment systems across 31 countries, which handled over 64 billion transactions in 2024. However, security remains a hurdle, with data showing that 15% of adults encounter a scam daily. The initiative aims to support governments and financial providers as they expand access to digital financial services while maintaining the trust and resilience required to keep pace with growing demand.

Simultaneously, Mastercard’s partnership with the AfricaNenda Foundation will focus on policy engagement and governance. By combining Mastercard’s technical expertise in real-time payments with AfricaNenda’s regional influence, the organizations intend to accelerate the deployment of inclusive instant-payment systems (IIPS). This dual approach addresses both the technical infrastructure required for interoperability and the regulatory frameworks needed to maintain trust in the digital economy, helping bring more businesses and communities into the financial fold.

"Mojaloop provides free, open-source payment infrastructure that enables countries to deploy instant payment systems quickly and cost-effectively. We are seeing first-hand how these systems are transforming the way consumers in underbanked communities move money, but adoption depends on trust and strong protection when it is needed. Mastercard’s fraud prevention and dispute resolution capabilities can strengthen protection and give consumers greater confidence in using digital payments. By adding these options alongside open source solutions like Tazama to our framework, and with the continued support of our partners and community, we are helping make financial inclusion across Africa a reality."

Jean Bosco Iyacu, Chief Executive Officer at The Mojaloop Foundation.

The companies involved

Mastercard is a global technology leader in the payments industry, operating a massive proprietary network that connects consumers, financial institutions, and merchants across more than 210 countries and territories. The company has increasingly pivoted toward multi-rail strategies, moving beyond traditional card networks to include account-to-account and real-time payment solutions as part of its broader security and fintech services.

The Mojaloop Foundation is a non-profit organization that maintains the Mojaloop open-source software and community infrastructure. It provides a blueprint for interoperable payment systems, specifically targeting financial inclusion in emerging markets. Its technology allows different financial service providers to connect seamlessly, reducing the cost of transactions for the underbanked and supporting the development of national payment rails.

AfricaNenda Foundation is an Africa-based non-profit dedicated to accelerating financial inclusion through inclusive instant-payment systems. It works primarily at the policy and governance level, providing technical expertise and advocacy to help African governments and regional bodies build payment systems that reach the poorest populations. Together, these entities represent a cross-section of commercial power, open-source innovation, and regional policy expertise.

What FF News has reported before

Mastercard remains one of the most active players in the global fintech space, with FF News tracking its expansion into diverse sectors. Recent coverage includes the company's move into high-yield retail products, such as when Kroger Partners with Imprint and Mastercard to Launch High-Yield Rewards Credit Card. The firm has also been instrumental in the evolution of real-time disbursements, noted in reports like LoanPro Launches AI Servicing Agents and Real-Time Card Disbursements for Lenders. Furthermore, Mastercard’s role in bridging traditional finance with digital assets was highlighted when SoFi Bank Scales Stablecoin Settlement to $25B via Mastercard Network.

What this means

This move signals a critical shift in how global payment giants view the African market. By backing open-source infrastructure like Mojaloop rather than insisting on purely proprietary rails, Mastercard is positioning itself as the essential "security layer" for the continent's financial future. The industry is currently under immense pressure to solve the "trust gap" in A2A payments; while speed is no longer the primary challenge, fraud remains a systemic threat to adoption. This partnership suggests that the next phase of fintech competition in Africa will not be won by those who move money the fastest, but by those who can guarantee its safety in a fragmented, high-risk environment.