MEA digital commerce firm Network International announced that telecoms operator Airtel has appointed it as an issuing payments processor for its operations across the African continent.
According to a statement from Network, the contract covers Airtel’s planned rollout of card issuance products in key markets across Africa.
Network said it will offer expertise and technical support to Airtel for a range of products and services, including transaction processing, card hosting and management, online fraud prevention, internal reconciliation and settlement and an APIs sandbox.
Network also said the solution provided to Airtel will enable its subscribers to smoothly and easily access both conventional mobile services and new digital payment services.
“This collaboration will enable us to deliver a superior customer experience and drive digital financial inclusion across Africa,” said Ian Ferrao, group CEO of Airtel Money. “Together, we will empower our users with seamless and secure payment solutions, fostering economic growth and inclusion in the communities we serve.”
Network provides payments solutions to merchants and financial institutions currently operates in 50 countries across the Middle East and Africa, including more than 40 African markets.
Airtel Africa operates in 14 countries across the continent, primarily in Central and West Africa. It currently has over 140 million customers in those markets, including over 36 million Airtel Money customers.