Mastercard partners AfricaNenda, Mojaloop to boost secure instant payments

Mercy Iheoma Ihedigbo

New collaborations aim to enhance fraud protection, interoperability and financial inclusion as instant payment systems expand across the continent.

Mastercard has announced new strategic partnerships with The Mojaloop Foundation and AfricaNenda Foundation aimed at strengthening trusted, inclusive and interoperable payment ecosystems across Africa.

The partnerships form part of Mastercard’s broader efforts to support the modernization of payment infrastructure across the continent, with a particular focus on security, consumer protection and confidence in instant account-to-account (A2A) payments.
Africa currently has 36 live instant payment systems across 31 countries, processing more than 64 billion transactions valued at nearly US$2 trillion in 2024 alone, according to data cited by Mastercard.

As account-to-account payments continue to gain momentum, the new collaborations are expected to support stronger local payment infrastructure, enabling consumers and businesses to transact more safely and confidently while contributing to wider economic growth.

Through its collaboration with The Mojaloop Foundation, a non-profit organisation that maintains free, open-source payment software and community infrastructure, Mastercard will explore how its AI-powered A2A Protect solution can complement Mojaloop’s payment infrastructure.

The initiative is designed to strengthen fraud prevention and provide end-to-end consumer protection that more closely reflects the safeguards consumers have traditionally associated with card payments.

Mastercard A2A Protect brings together real-time risk scoring, mule-account intelligence and dispute-resolution services within a single framework.

The company describes the solution as one of the industry’s comprehensive approaches to account-to-account payment protection, helping financial institutions combat fraud while building trust and encouraging the adoption of instant payments at scale.

The partnership comes as digital scams continue to pose a challenge to the expansion of digital financial services. Mastercard said 15 per cent of adults encounter a scam every day, underscoring the importance of security and consumer confidence as digital payment adoption increases.

The initiative is therefore expected to support governments and financial service providers as they expand access to digital financial services while strengthening the resilience and security of payment systems.

Mojaloop technology has already supported the deployment of interoperable payment infrastructure in several African markets, helping countries develop systems capable of facilitating instant and inclusive digital payments.

Mastercard has also entered into a partnership with AfricaNenda Foundation, an Africa-based non-profit organisation focused on accelerating financial inclusion through inclusive instant-payment systems.

Under the collaboration, Mastercard will bring its expertise in real-time payments together with AfricaNenda’s regional policy engagement and governance support to advance interoperable, trusted and resilient payment systems across Africa.

The organisation’s aim is to help bring more consumers, businesses and communities into the digital economy by supporting payment infrastructure that is accessible, reliable and secure.

Commenting on the partnerships, Johan Gerber, Executive Vice President, Payment Networks at Mastercard, said trust remains fundamental to the success of any digital economy.

“Trust is the foundation of every successful digital economy. As account-to-account payments accelerate across Africa, consumers and businesses need the confidence that their money is protected and supported when something goes wrong,” Gerber said.

He added that Mastercard was pleased to work with Mojaloop and AfricaNenda to bring its account-to-account payment expertise and enhanced consumer protections to Africa’s rapidly evolving instant payments ecosystem.

Also speaking, Jean Bosco Iyacu, Chief Executive Officer of The Mojaloop Foundation, said Mojaloop provides free, open-source payment infrastructure that enables countries to deploy instant payment systems quickly and cost-effectively.

According to Iyacu, the technology is already transforming how consumers, particularly those in underbanked communities, move money, but sustained adoption requires trust and effective protection.

“Mastercard’s fraud prevention and dispute resolution capabilities can strengthen protection and give consumers greater confidence in using digital payments,” Iyacu said.

He noted that adding such capabilities alongside open-source solutions such as Tazama, with continued support from partners and the wider Mojaloop community, would contribute to making financial inclusion across Africa a reality.

The partnerships reflect a shared ambition among Mastercard, Mojaloop and AfricaNenda to help shape Africa’s digital economy through instant payment systems that are not only fast and interoperable, but also secure, inclusive and trusted.