Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, has announced a strategic partnership with Visa to launch Visa Pay, a cloud-native Payments-as-a-Service platform that aims to boost digital financial inclusion across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Through this collaboration, consumers in the DRC will now be able to conveniently fund their Visa Pay wallets directly from mobile money platforms such as M-Pesa, Airtel Money, and Orange Money. The initiative connects Visa’s card network to millions of mobile money wallets across the country, enabling seamless everyday payments for retail, e-commerce, and essential services.
Driving Financial Inclusion
“Our collaboration with Onafriq represents our ambition to accelerate financial inclusion in the DRC,”
said Sophie Kafuti, General Manager of Visa in the DRC.
“By connecting Visa Pay to existing mobile money infrastructure, we’re not just adding convenience—we’re creating the interoperability foundation that will fuel digital commerce adoption across the country.”
Market Growth Potential
The partnership comes at a time of rapid growth in the DRC’s mobile payments sector. According to GSMA, the industry is projected to reach $3.85 billion in transaction value in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 19%. The market spans retail payments, e-commerce transactions, government services, bill payments, payroll disbursements, and business collections nationwide.
Uniting Global and Local Strengths
Christian Bwakira, Chief Commercial Officer of Onafriq, highlighted the significance of the partnership:
“Onafriq has connected Congolese consumers to Africa and the world for years, operating as the trusted infrastructure in the background. This partnership demonstrates how combining Visa’s global network reach with Onafriq’s deep on-ground presence creates unprecedented possibilities for innovation and financial inclusion across Africa.”
Expanding Beyond DRC
While the launch focuses on the DRC, both companies confirmed that this collaboration sets the stage for Visa Pay’s expansion into other African markets where mobile money adoption is already robust, and demand for interoperable digital-first solutions continues to grow.
About Onafriq
Onafriq is an omnichannel “network of networks,” spanning 43 African markets and connecting over 1 billion mobile money wallets, 500 million bank accounts, and more than 400,000 agents. The company provides domestic and cross-border disbursements, collections, card issuing and processing, agency banking, and treasury services, with a strong regulatory and compliance presence across Africa, the UK, US, and China. Learn more at Onafriq.com.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating secure transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and governments across more than 200 countries and territories. Its mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. Learn more at Visa.com.
