Airtel Money and Mastercard Enable Secure Global Payments Across Africa
Airtel Africa has announced the launch of the Airtel Money GlobalPay Card, a virtual payment solution connecting customers across Africa to global online marketplaces.
Through the platform, Airtel Money consumers will have the ability to make payments for travel bookings, utilities, subscriptions, and purchase goods from international suppliers—all from the convenience of their mobile phones.
This collaboration with Mastercard will empower Airtel’s 150 million mobile phone users in 14 African countries with safer and more secure international transactions.
Swiss Fintech Centi Reduces Cost Of Sending Money To Africa With Yellow Card Partnership
Swiss fintech company Centi has announced a major expansion of its remittance services in Africa. The are now reaching 20 countries through a partnership with Yellow Card, which is Africa’s largest licensed stablecoin on/off ramp. This collaboration aims to disrupt the traditional remittance industry by offering significantly lower costs and instant transfers to over 350 million mobile money users.
Reducing Transfer Costs by using Blockchain and Stablecoins
Centi’s service, accessible through its mobile app. It offers transfers at rates up to 85% cheaper than traditional providers. Transferring CHF 100 only costs CHF 2 with Centi instead of 15 CHF that other providers charge.
Network International and Airtel Money Expand Digital Payments in Africa
Network International (Network), a leading enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), in partnership with Airtel Money, the dedicated mobile money platform for Airtel Africa, has begun the rollout of digital payment solutions across key African markets, starting with Uganda. More activations are scheduled for the rest of Africa and Francophone countries in 2025.
As part of this collaboration, Network will provide expertise and support for solutions including transaction processing, card management, fraud prevention, APIs sandbox, reconciliation and settlement, and online access for Airtel users.
Creating Real-world Solutions for Africa’s Digital Finance Future
Africa’s digital payment ecosystem is growing rapidly, making innovative and scalable financial products essential for sustained growth.
But more doesn’t necessarily mean better, says Paul Selibas, newly appointed Chief Product Officer at EFT Corporation (EFTCorp). “Innovation is not just about building more products – it’s about solving real customer challenges and making payments more seamless, scalable, and accessible.”
Financial inclusion is a critical driver of economic growth across Africa, while 33% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa have a mobile money account (compared to just 10% globally), more than half the population remains unbanked or underbanked, highlighting the necessity for products that promote financial inclusion and cater to the unique needs of African consumers.
South Africa Gift and Incentive Card Market Report 2025: Gift Card Market Expands at 10.9% CAGR, Forecast to Reach $2.27 Billion by 2029 – Corporate Incentives & Digital Payments Fuel Market Growth
Dublin, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “South Africa Gift Card and Incentive Card Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics (Databook) – Q1 2025 Update” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com‘s offering.
The South Africa Gift Card Market Report provides a data-centric analysis of market opportunities and risks across consumer segments, product categories, retail sectors, and store formats, with 100+ KPIs.
The report covers digital & e-gift card sales, distribution channels, key occasions, demographic trends, and market share of leading retailers. Includes insights into consumer behavior, retail spending, and end-market dynamics, with KPIs in value and volume terms for a comprehensive market view.
Read more: https://shorturl.at/YplFE
Airwallex boosts Asia-Pacific expansion with acquisition of Vietnam’s CTIN Pay
Established in 2016, CTIN Pay operates as a subsidiary of Post Telecommunications and Informatics Joint Stock Company and secured a licence from the State Bank of Vietnam to provide intermediary payment services in October 2020.
Founded in Melbourne, Australia, but now operating out of Singapore, Airwallex says the acquisition of CTIN Pay and its Vietnamese licence “deepens the global reach” of its financial infrastructure offering, “aiding Vietnamese merchants in their overseas expansion, and facilitating international businesses to enter the Vietnamese market”.
Aside from its new acquisition in Vietnam, Airwallex’s list of existing licences in the Asia-Pacific region also includes Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, where it secured a Financial Services licence in July last year.
UnionBank Set To Raise USD $800M for Digital Expansion
UnionBank of the Philippines is pursuing significant debt market issuance initiatives to reinforce its digital banking operations.
The bank intends to raise up to USD $800 million from the offshore debt market, a move designed to bolster the financial strength of the digital expansion of UnionBank.
This planned issuance falls under UnionBank’s existing USD 2 billion, euro medium-term note programme (EMTN), which offers the flexibility to tailor debt issuances to specific funding requirements.
