Mastercard and Moovn sign five-year deal to expand payments in East Africa

Moovn Technologies, which operates mobility, logistics, ecommerce, and merchant platforms, is expanding the payment capabilities of its MoovnPay wallet. The company have signed a five-year strategic agreement with Mastercard that brings Mastercard’s global payments network together with the MoovnPay wallet ecosystem. The rollout is planned for Kenya, Tanzania, and other African markets. It will serve riders, drivers, merchants, small and medium-sized businesses, and other users.

Cards, merchant payments, and remittances in one wallet

The agreement enables MoovnPay to offer virtual and physical prepaid Mastercard cards, tokenisation, and online and in-app payment acceptance through Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS), available via Mastercard Merchant Cloud. It also covers Pay Local, peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers, and eligible cross-border remittances through Mastercard Move. MoovnPay and Shooga, Moovn’s service for P2P payments, fundraising, and donations, will give users access to prepaid Mastercard cards within a single wallet.

The agreement builds on Mastercard Start Path’s Emerging Fintech programme. In September 2025, MoovnPay was selected as one of 11 fintechs for the programme. Moovn has since launched MPGS in Kenya. The next phase will focus on the Shooga prepaid Mastercard portfolio, extending Pay Local in Kenya and Tanzania, and expanding tokenisation and wallet capabilities.

Shehryar Ali, Mastercard’s Senior Vice President and Country Manager for East Africa, said payments are increasingly embedded in the platforms people use every day to travel, work, and trade.

Africa’s growing digital payments market

A report commissioned by Mastercard and produced by Genesis Analytics projects that Africa’s digital payments economy will reach USD 1.5 trillion by 2030. Mastercard’s 2026 SME Confidence Index found that 95% of Kenyan small and medium-sized businesses accept mobile payments, while 80% consider simple payment methods important for future growth.

According to the AfricaNenda Foundation’s SIIPS 2025 report, Africa has 36 live instant payment systems across 31 countries. In 2024, these systems processed more than 64 billion transactions worth close to USD 2 trillion.

Godwin Gabriel, founder and group chief executive of Moovn Technologies, said the collaboration connects MoovnPay and Shooga with Moovn’s mobility, logistics, and commerce platforms, adding access to global payment capabilities. The companies aim to create an integrated financial and lifestyle ecosystem. By combining card issuance, merchant acceptance, wallet services, P2P transfers, and cross-border remittances on one platform, they aim to support financial inclusion and digital participation across East Africa.