Mastercard and Selcom partner to drive digital payments in Tanzania

By Pavithra R

Mastercard and Selcom announced the launch of an enhanced mobile application enabling people to centralize their payment cards, rewards programs and supported mobile banking profiles on a single digital platform.

Users can choose to activate the desired account to pay at any merchant who accepts Mastercard QR. The app acts as a one-stop solution for all consumer payments in Tanzania, discovering exciting offers near them in a convenient way. Trialled last year, the Selcom Mastercard App is now enhanced with Qwikrewards, and Discovery features, which enable businesses to seamlessly offer discounts or cashback to consumers who pay through Mastercard QR.

The Qwikrewards integration provides consumers with a single collection point for all discounts and cashbacks received when paying for goods and services. For SMBs who offer these rewards in a bid to grow their customer base, the solution enables them to customize their offerings, track offers digitally and receive electronic payments without the need for any additional hardware. Through the Discovery feature, consumers can seamlessly identify new offers when they click on the Discovery feature on the application. SMEs and corporates can upload all their offers on the app for people to select from a gallery of promotions and opt to pay and have the rewards collected in one place.
These features are available at 1,000 merchants including Alcove, Ahlan Restaurant, Cafe Aroma, Puma, Hotpoint Appliances, and The Backyard and will later expand to all merchants who accept Mastercard QR payments across the country.

“Mastercard has been spearheading the transition to digital payments for several years in Tanzania. By partnering with Selcom to incentivize consumers to pay for goods and services using the newly launched Selcom Mastercard app, we are promoting digital and financial inclusion, as well as connecting merchants to a wider customer base to increase the volume of their sales transactions. Mastercard’s QR payments technology is a powerful tool through which consumers can access an enhanced payment experience through the convenience of their mobile phone. Over the coming months, we look forward to further collaboration with our partners to continue delivering relevant solutions that encourage people to transact more seamlessly and efficiently,” said Adam Jones, Country Manager for East Africa, Mastercard.

Mastercard has launched several digital payment partnerships in Tanzania designed to equip people with the apt tools to join the digital economy and pave their path towards financial security. The new mobile application is developed as a result of the collaboration between Mastercard Labs for Financial Inclusion and Selcom. The app and rewards program underpins Mastercard’s commitment to ensure micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have access to affordable payment acceptance solutions while encouraging consumers to join the digital economy.

“We have deliberately positioned Qwikrewards as an enhancer and motivator for consumers to adopt digital payments and to promote the cashless economy in Tanzania. The most relevant gap that the Selcom Mastercard application addresses is the ability to link a Mastercard debit or credit card, or any other scheme card, to the application to pay at Mastercard QR merchants for free, especially if your bank does not directly support the service. Selcom is known for disruption, and this is one of many services we will be launching in the coming months to make the lives of consumers and merchants better and easier. With the added cashback angle, consumers are likely to increase their use of Mastercard QR,” said Selcom’s Executive Director Sameer Hirji.