MasterCard CEO in Africa: Advances Financial Inclusion for Unbanked

To tweet this news, copy and paste: #MasterCard strengthens commitment to a World Beyond Cash in Africa http://bit.ly/WhZBFo #MAinAfrica

Ajay Banga, MasterCard Worldwide President and CEO (right), discusses the benefits of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) Debit MasterCard with Hilda Nkantini (left) at the Elias Motsoaledi settlement in Soweto outside Johannesburg. Nkantini is one of the nearly six million South Africans who now receive their social grant payments securely and conveniently by using the Debit MasterCard, which can also be used to pay for purchases, check balances and withdraw cash largely without incurring transaction fees. (Nadine Hutton/AP Images for MasterCard Worldwide)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa--()--In a weeklong trip to Africa this week, Ajay Banga, President and CEO of MasterCard Worldwide, affirmed the company’s commitment to extending financial inclusion across the continent. Collaborating with local government officials, financial institutions, businesses and citizens, he shared his thoughts on a cashless society and vision of a world beyond cash.

Africa: The Next Cashless Continent

  • 80 percent of sub-Saharan Africa is unbanked
  • Africa’s financial services sector is projected to grow 40 percent by 2020
  • Seven out of ten of the world’s fastest-growing economies will be in Africa by 2015
  • Africa has surpassed Europe in the number of mobile phones and the US in number of cell phone users.
  • 61% of Kenyans use mobile phones to send money

(World Bank Findex)

MasterCard in Africa

About MasterCard:

MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a global payments and technology company. It operates the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNewsjoin the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.

Contacts

For media inquiries:
MasterCard Worldwide Communications
Marcy Cohen, +1 914-249-2214
marcy_cohen@mastercard.com

Release Summary

In a weeklong trip to Africa this week, Ajay Banga, President and CEO of MasterCard Worldwide, affirmed the company’s commitment to extending financial inclusion across the continent.

Contacts

For media inquiries:
MasterCard Worldwide Communications
Marcy Cohen, +1 914-249-2214
marcy_cohen@mastercard.com