At its inaugural Africa Edge Summit, Mastercard gathered leaders from across Africa’s payments ecosystem to map out how collaboration and innovation could propel the continent’s rapidly expanding digital economy — one projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.
The one-day forum, hosted by Mark Elliott, Mastercard’s division president for Africa, brought together senior figures from banks, fintech companies, telecoms, regulators, and technology partners. The focus was on the core elements that underpin a digital economy — trust, interoperability, and secure infrastructure — as the company positioned itself at the heart of Africa’s digital transformation story.
“Africa Edge is a reflection of Mastercard’s long-term commitment to this continent,” Elliott said. “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.”
Speakers and panelists addressed the challenge of expanding low-cost digital payment acceptance, improving interoperability between financial systems, and enhancing security at scale to create a more inclusive economy. With Africa’s internet penetration projected to grow by 20 percent annually, participants agreed that digital connectivity — paired with secure, frictionless payments — would be essential to sustaining growth and unlocking new avenues for trade, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
During the summit, Mastercard unveiled two technological innovations it described as milestones in digital commerce. The first-ever Agent Pay transaction in the EEMEA region was executed live at the event — a system Mastercard says will enable “autonomous, secure and accessible payment experiences.” The company also launched the Merchant Cloud, a unified platform integrating payments, artificial intelligence, and security tools to help merchants grow across multiple sales channels. Both, the company said, are designed to make digital transactions more intelligent and inclusive.
The forum also spotlighted the growing importance of payment immediacy. Panelists pointed to South Africa’s real-time clearing system as a model for other nations, emphasizing how same-day settlement can help small businesses absorb shocks, reduce borrowing costs, and reinvest faster. Mastercard executives said they are working to extend such instant-payment capabilities across multiple African markets.
Ling Hai, Mastercard’s president for Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (APEMEA), described faster payments as “critical” for small-business resilience. “Africa’s digital future depends on simple, safe and accessible payment solutions that work across markets and devices,” he said, urging greater collaboration between public and private actors “to ensure innovation benefits everyone.”
Beyond payments, the summit explored the human and ethical dimensions of the digital transition. Futurist John Sanei, the event’s keynote speaker, argued that human adaptability and emotional intelligence will define leadership success in an era of AI-driven disruption. A separate spotlight session led by Smile ID addressed the rising threat of synthetic identities and deepfakes, as the company showcased its AI-powered “liveness checks” and verification tools designed in partnership with Mastercard to strengthen digital onboarding and reduce fraud.
Shehryar Ali, Mastercard’s senior vice president and country manager for East Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, highlighted the region’s leadership in mobile money innovation. “East Africa has long led the world in mobile payments,” he said. “We are building on that foundation by linking ecosystems like Airtel Money, MTN Momo, Mixx by Yas and M-PESA to global payment rails and expanding secure, interoperable digital solutions that support individuals and SMEs. With 91 percent of Kenyan SMEs already using digital payments, the region continues to set the pace for Africa’s $1.5 trillion digital economy opportunity.”
While Mastercard’s vision was widely applauded, some industry observers noted that the conversation around digital inclusion must go beyond scaling infrastructure to address issues such as data privacy, regulatory harmonization, and local innovation ownership. As one fintech executive at the event put it privately, “It’s not just about connecting Africa to the world — it’s about ensuring Africa controls its own digital destiny.”
The day ended with an awards gala recognizing Mastercard’s partners and customers driving innovation and inclusion across African markets. For Mastercard, Africa Edge signaled both a symbolic and strategic commitment — an attempt to position the company not just as a payments provider, but as a foundational architect of Africa’s digital future.
Still, as Africa’s fintech ecosystem matures, the challenge will be ensuring that the digital infrastructure shaping the continent’s next economic chapter reflects not only global expertise but also local ownership, transparency, and trust.