Mastercard held its inaugural Africa Edge summit, convening leaders from across Africa's payments ecosystem to explore how collaboration and innovation can accelerate the continent's digital growth. The forum focused on building the infrastructure, trust and interoperability needed to support Africa's fast-growing digital economy, projected to reach USD 1.5 trillion by 2030, and create new opportunities for consumers and small businesses.
Hosted by Mark Elliott, division president, Africa, Mastercard, the event brought together senior representatives from banks, fintech companies, telcos, regulators and technology partners. Speakers and panelists discussed how to expand low-cost acceptance, improve interoperability and enhance security at scale to create a more inclusive and resilient economy. With internet penetration in Africa projected to grow at 20 percent annually, participants agreed that seamless, secure and connected payment systems are essential to sustaining growth and unlocking new opportunities for trade and entrepreneurship.
During the event, Mastercard showcased two breakthrough innovations shaping the future of digital commerce. The first-ever Agent Pay transaction in EEMEA was executed live, marking a major step toward autonomous, secure and accessible payment experiences. In addition, Mastercard launched the Merchant Cloud, a unified platform that brings together payments, AI and security to help merchants grow their businesses confidently in an omnichannel environment. Both innovations underscore Mastercard's commitment to building intelligent, inclusive and resilient payment ecosystems that power Africa's digital transformation.
