Visa Awards Safaricom With Payment Facilitator Certificate

Visa, a global leader in digital payments has awarded Safaricom Plc., a payment facilitator certificate, marking a significant milestone in its ongoing partnership with the Telco. This enhanced collaboration aims to empower Safaricom’s merchant ecosystem by diversifying payment acceptance modes through the introduction of card payments that support all card networks via Visa’s CyberSource Payment Gateway.

This initiative is part of the continuing multi-year partnership, which began with the successful launch of the M-PESA GlobalPay Virtual Visa Card in June 2022. By leveraging Visa’s advanced payment technologies, Safaricom merchants will have access to and offer a broader range of payment options, enhancing their ability to serve customers efficiently and securely.

Key Highlights of the partnership

• Enhanced Payment Solutions: Introduction of card payments, providing merchants with greater flexibility and convenience.
• Empowering MSMEs: Allowing Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to accept card payments and offer a secure marketplace solution, acknowledging the significant contribution MSMEs make to Kenya’s GDP.
• Secure Transactions: Utilization of Visa’s Cybersource gateway to ensure secure and reliable payment processing via it’s World-Class Decision Manager feature.
• Ongoing Collaboration: Building on the success of the Virtual Cards launched in June 2022, this partnership continues to evolve, bringing innovative payment solutions to the market.

“We are thrilled to present the Payment Facilitator certificate to Safaricom and take our partnership to the next level,” said Chad Pollock, General Manager and Vice President, Visa East Africa. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to providing cutting-edge payment solutions that drive growth and efficiency for merchants. While in 2022 we opened the M-PESA consumers to the world with the GlobalPay Visa Virtual Card, we are now giving over 600,000 merchants access to the world of consumers.”

Esther Waititu, Chief Financial Services Officer, Safaricom added, “Our partnership with Visa has been instrumental in enhancing our payment capabilities. The introduction of card payments through Visa’s Cybersource gateway is a testament to our shared vision of empowering merchants with diverse and secure payment options. At Safaricom, we continuously develop holistic solutions to our clients and this milestone will enhance our value proposition to merchants across online and face to face payments.”

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