Orange Money and Visa launch a virtual Visa card that expands secure online payments for millions of mobile users across Africa and the Middle East.
Orange Money Group and Visa have announced an expanded strategic partnership to accelerate online payments and broaden financial access across Africa and the Middle East, particularly in emerging markets such as Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The collaboration builds on earlier deployments in Botswana, Madagascar, Jordan, and most recently Côte d’Ivoire, and marks another incremental step in extending digital financial services to mobile money users across the region.
At the heart of the partnership is the Orange Money Visa virtual card, which users can create instantly through the Max it app and fund directly from their Orange Money accounts. This enables secure online payments on local and international platforms, a key advantage for users who previously lacked easy access to digital commerce. A physical card version will roll out at select Orange Money outlets later. This solution directly addresses a long-standing gap in payment services for mobile-first users who rely on wallets rather than traditional bank accounts.
Orange Money’s footprint already stretches across 17 African countries, with tens of millions of active users and a track record of facilitating digital transactions. In 2024 alone, the platform processed hundreds of billions of euros in transfers and continued expanding both its user base and on-ground agent network, which is critical for reaching underbanked and rural populations. These services help reduce the reliance on cash and bring more people into the formal financial ecosystem.
The broader context for this partnership is a region where bank account penetration remains relatively low and mobile money has emerged as an essential financial access point. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile money adoption has surged in recent years, enabling users without conventional banking relationships to send money, pay bills, and now make online purchases. In countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where efforts such as Visa Pay aim to link mobile money wallets with card-based systems, enhancing interoperability is seen as a practical way to boost participation in digital commerce.
For fintech providers and payment platforms, the Orange Money-Visa collaboration highlights the value of combining established mobile money reach with global payment networks. By enabling safe and recognizable payment methods, the partnership helps lower barriers to e-commerce and cross-border transactions, especially for individuals and small businesses in emerging markets. It also complements broader industry moves, including partnerships with Mastercard and other payment innovators, all focused on expanding digital financial services for previously underserved populations.
Overall, while not transformational on its own, this service advancement represents a practical and scalable improvement in digital payments infrastructure — one that strengthens financial inclusion and supports continued fintech innovation throughout Africa’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
