Mastercard & EMIS team to bolster digital economy in Angola

By Delisha Fernandes

Mastercard has announced a strategic partnership with the Empresa Interbancária de Serviços S.A (EMIS) to roll out a co-branded contactless card with EMV technology to boost the digital economy and accelerate digital transformation in Angola.

The partnership enables cardholders, including consumers and small business owners in Angola, to have one card that makes cross-border payments (within and outside Angola), thus aiding in developing an interoperable payment system.

Additionally, the partnership represents a positive development for financial institutions, as they will have cost synergies and access to Mastercard’s world-class technology for their domestic market and cards going forward, powering the existing local domestic scheme in the process.

Angolan banks can utilise Mastercard’s loyalty platform, national fraud and risk management solution, and Mastercard Payments Gateway Services to support e-commerce businesses and process online transactions.

Mark Elliott, Division President, Sub Saharan Africa, at Mastercard, said, “At Mastercard, our innovation strategy includes collaborating with like-minded partners to power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere. Our partnership with EMIS demonstrates our commitment to supporting key stakeholders worldwide to create an interconnected global payments ecosystem that benefits an array of consumers with unique needs.”

EMIS is the financial infrastructure operator of the Angolan Payment System, responsible for the interbank network for the network of ATMs and Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals. It is also the clearing house for banks’ direct debit and funds transfer operations and a Mobile Virtual Process Operator (MVPO) in Angola.

José Matos, Chief Executive Officer at EMIS, said, “Angola continues to make significant progress in the financial services sector, and our partnership with Mastercard seeks to accelerate this growth. Through the partnership, we are committed to introducing the broad benefits of a full-fledged interoperable payment system as soon as possible, creating an inclusive digital and financial ecosystem for Angolans.”