Africa’s fast-growing fintech ecosystem just gained an important advantage. On June 19, 2025, Mastercard announced a partnership with Enza, a regional payments platform, to help African fintech startups scale faster, more securely, and with fewer technical barriers.

For many early-stage fintechs, building secure payment systems from scratch is one of the biggest hurdles to growth. Enza simplifies this by offering access to Mastercard’s global network and digital tools, including card issuing, payment processing, and multi-channel transaction support.

This means African developers no longer need to piece together complex backend infrastructure. Instead, they can plug directly into a trusted system and shift focus toward creating customer-centered financial solutions that work across mobile, app, and in-store experiences.

Enza handles the regulatory compliance, security standards, and system integration in each market. This is crucial in Africa, where inconsistent infrastructure and regulatory frameworks often slow fintech deployment. Mastercard brings global experience, while Enza brings local understanding, and the result is a platform built for Africa’s reality.

Africa’s fintech sector has nearly tripled in size since 2020, according to the European Investment Bank. From digital lending and e-commerce to agriculture and ride-hailing payments, startups are finding new ways to serve unbanked populations. But reliability and trust still make or break adoption.

For users, this partnership could mean faster transactions, fewer downtimes, and more Mastercard-powered solutions across everyday platforms. For fintech companies, it creates room to innovate rather than spend months battling technical setups and licensing requirements.

This kind of partnership is exactly what Africa’s digital economy needs right now. By connecting global financial infrastructure with local innovation, Mastercard and Enza are helping turn ideas into real services. From Nigeria to Egypt, and across informal economies, this could help more startups reach scale and unlock more inclusive growth across the continent.