Mastercard and Amazon Payment Services (APS) have signed a multi-year commercial partnership agreement to digitise payment acceptance in Middle East and Africa (MEA). The coverage will be across countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, South Africa and UAE.

As part of the collaboration, the leading payment service provider (PSP) will adopt Mastercard Gateway – a single touchpoint for payment processing – as a payment solution available in 40 markets in the region. The integration of the solution will enable merchants to offer fast, seamless, and secure transactions as well as convenient payment choices to customers.

In line with the rapid increase in digital payments, the partnership will benefit thousands of APS merchants, including Amazon online stores for shoppers across the UAE and Egypt. In addition, it will open new opportunities for building synergies with entities such as telcos and governments to enhance their checkout options, driving a faster and more secure transaction rate for their customers.

Emerging payment methods

According to the Mastercard Payment Industry Insights Index, 95% of consumers in MEA are considering using emerging payment methods, such as wearables, biometrics, digital wallets, QR codes, and contactless payments. Additionally, 61% of consumers would avoid businesses that do not accept electronic payments, while banks in the region that have migrated to digital channels have also seen the share of digital transactions increase from 70% to 90% over the course of approximately two years.

“We are proud to partner with APS to scale payment acceptance and accelerate digitisation of payments with innovation solutions,” said Amnah Ajmal, Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA, Mastercard.

The two organisations have also signed an innovation agreement to develop Secure Card on File, Click to Pay, and token authentication services to provide multi-rail checkout options to merchants, and a faster checkout experience to end customers.

Peter George, Managing Director, APS, Middle East & North Africa, commented: “We are delighted to strengthen our collaboration with Mastercard, to deliver on our common goal of shaping the future of online payments in the region. Implementing Mastercard Gateway will empower us to expand our reach as a PSP and reduce the burden of integration, since the advanced technology solution is connected to all major acquirers around the world.”

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