MasterCard

LIVE FROM MWC21 AFRICA: Collaboration between cross-industry stakeholders provides the key to extending financial inclusion to those not currently part of the ecosystem, Mastercard group executive for merchants, acceptance and digital partnerships Amnah Ajmal (pictured) asserted.

Verizon and Mastercard formed a strategic alliance to bring 5G to the global payments industry, aiming to help businesses replace credit card machines with smartphones.

Mastercard lined up a $100 million investment in Airtel Africa’s mobile money holding company, funds the operator stated would be used to reduce debt and boost financing for network and sales infrastructure.

MTN Group struck a strategic partnership with Mastercard to advance its e-commerce strategy across Africa, with the move designed to allow millions of the operator’s customers access to more international brands and merchants.

Veon entered into a global partnership with Mastercard to enhance customer access to financial and digital services across five key markets in Europe and Asia.

Transactions made using wearable devices in Europe registered strong growth, with consumers in the region using the devices nearly 20-times more than those in North America in Q3, research by Mastercard found.

Five companies including Mastercard and Visa withdraw their backing for Facebook’s blockchain-based Libra payments play, throwing the project into further doubt.