Orange Money Group and Visa are widening their strategic partnership to new countries, after the successful existing deployments in Botswana, Madagascar, and Jordan. Expansion plans include Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Virtual Visa cards are being rolled out and will be accessible via the Max it app. This collaboration seeks to leverage Orange Money's extensive local reach with Visa's global payment network, fostering greater financial inclusion.
Expanding Digital Payment Access
The partnership is set to provide millions of users with a simple, secure, and internationally recognised payment solution. Building on the success of virtual Visa cards already deployed in Botswana, Madagascar, and Jordan, Orange Money Côte d'Ivoire has recently launched its own virtual Visa card.
This initiative is part of a phased rollout planned for markets including Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Orange Money Virtual Card Functionality
The Orange Money Visa virtual card is readily accessible through the Max it app. Users can instantly create a card and top it up from their Orange Money account, enabling secure online transactions on both local and international websites.
The companies also plan to introduce a physical card option at authorised Orange Money points of sale in the future.
Driving Financial Inclusion
Thierry Millet, CEO of Orange Money Group, highlighted the significance of the partnership, stating, "Thanks to Orange Money, our 45 million customers can make everyday payments at millions of physical retail locations and with online merchants in their country. Whether they are individuals or entrepreneurs, they can now create their virtual Visa card in just a few seconds and make international online payments across the Visa network."
Ismahill Diaby, Vice-President, General Manager for Western and Central Francophone & Lusophone Africa at Visa, added, "By combining Visa’s trusted technology with Orange Money’s local reach, this partnership offers a simple, secure way for more people and small businesses to pay online — helping them participate confidently in everyday commerce."
This collaboration underscores Orange Money's commitment to promoting financial inclusion by simplifying access to digital services and empowering individuals and entrepreneurs to participate more fully in the digital economy, irrespective of their location or the device they use.
Previous Collaborations
This move follows Orange Middle East and Africa's (OMEA) strategic partnership with Mastercard announced in October 2024, which aimed to expand mobile financial services across Sub-Saharan Africa. That collaboration was designed to enable millions of Orange Money wallet holders to access digital payments through Mastercard’s global merchant network by 2025, with initial rollouts planned in seven countries.
