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October 14, 2026
Mastercard and Moovn Technologies have signed a five-year strategic agreement to expand digital payments across Kenya, Tanzania and other African markets.
The partnership will combine Mastercard’s global payments network with MoovnPay’s digital wallet ecosystem, adding prepaid cards, online payment acceptance, peer-to-peer transfers and eligible cross-border remittances to Moovn’s mobility, logistics and commerce platforms.
The rollout will give consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses more ways to pay, receive payments and move money. Initial efforts will focus on Kenya and Tanzania, with further expansion planned as Moovn scales across the region.
The deal comes as digital payments gain ground across Africa, with mobile money, e-commerce and cross-border transactions creating demand for more accessible financial infrastructure. A Mastercard-commissioned report by Genesis Analytics projects that Africa’s digital payments economy could reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.
Mastercard, Moovn Target Everyday Transactions
Under the agreement, MoovnPay users will gain access to virtual and physical prepaid Mastercard cards, alongside online and in-app payments supported by Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS).
The partnership will also integrate Mastercard’s tokenization technology, which replaces sensitive card details with digital tokens to help secure transactions, and Mastercard Move, a platform that supports cross-border money transfers.
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These services will be incorporated into Moovn’s existing mobility, logistics, e-commerce and merchant platforms. The companies aim to make it easier for users to pay for services, receive money and conduct transactions within a connected digital ecosystem.
Shehryar Ali, Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands at Mastercard, and Godwin Gabriel, Founder and Group Chief Executive of Moovn Technologies, sign a strategic agreement to expand secure digital payment capabilities across East Africa.
MoovnPay and Shooga, Moovn’s financial inclusion solution for peer-to-peer payments, fundraising and donations, will be central to the rollout. Users will be able to access Mastercard prepaid cards through a single digital wallet.
The agreement also includes plans to expand Pay Local, which enables participating merchants to accept payments directly from MoovnPay users across Kenya and Tanzania.
“Our collaboration with Mastercard is about building more than a payment product,” said Godwin Gabriel, founder and group chief executive of Moovn Technologies.
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Gabriel said connecting MoovnPay, Shooga and the company’s mobility, logistics and commerce platforms to global payment capabilities would help create an integrated financial and lifestyle ecosystem.
He added that the partnership is intended to expand access, convenience and economic opportunities for consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses across Africa.
Digital Payments Create Opportunities for African SMEs
The partnership comes as African businesses increasingly rely on digital payment systems to reach customers and manage transactions.
Mastercard’s 2026 SME Confidence Index found that 95% of Kenyan small and medium-sized enterprises accept mobile payments, while 80% identified simple, seamless and user-friendly payment methods as important to their future growth.
The broader payments infrastructure is also expanding. AfricaNenda Foundation’s State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems in Africa 2025 report identified 36 live instant payment systems across 31 African countries. These systems processed more than 64 billion transactions worth nearly $2 trillion in 2024.
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For small businesses, integrating payment services into platforms used for transportation, logistics and online commerce could reduce friction between buying, selling and receiving money. However, the partnership’s wider impact will depend on service availability, transaction costs, merchant adoption and how effectively users can access the new capabilities.
Payments are increasingly woven into the platforms people use every day to travel, work and trade,” said Shehryar Ali, senior vice president and country manager for East Africa at Mastercard.
Ali said Mastercard’s global network and secure payment technology would help extend Moovn’s reach, opening additional pathways into the digital economy for consumers, drivers, merchants and small businesses.
From Fintech Accelerator to Commercial Rollout
The agreement builds on MoovnPay’s selection for Mastercard Start Path’s Emerging Fintech program in September 2025, when it joined a cohort of 11 fintech companies.
Since then, the companies have progressed toward commercial implementation, including Moovn’s launch of Mastercard Payment Gateway Services in Kenya.
The next phase of the collaboration will focus on launching the Shooga prepaid Mastercard portfolio, expanding Pay Local in Kenya and Tanzania, and extending payment gateway, tokenization and digital wallet capabilities.
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The companies have not specified a complete rollout timetable or disclosed the financial terms of the five-year agreement.
For Mastercard, the collaboration extends its strategy of working with fintech companies to expand digital payment acceptance and financial services across African markets. For Moovn, it offers a route to connect its mobility and commerce operations with payment infrastructure that can support transactions beyond its core services.
The long-term opportunity will depend on whether the integrated platform can attract sustained use from consumers and businesses, particularly those underserved by traditional financial services.
About Moovn Technologies
Moovn Technologies is a global technology company operating across mobility, financial technology, commerce and logistics. Its financial services division, MoovnPay, provides payment solutions, remittances, prepaid cards and other financial services aimed at expanding access to the digital economy.
About Mastercard
Mastercard operates a global payments network serving consumers, businesses and governments in more than 200 countries and territories. Its services include digital payments, payment processing, security technology and cross-border money movement.
