Visa on Mobile sets up shop in Tanzania as it seeks to expand regional footprint

From left: Charles Natai – Country Director Maxcom Africa, Jameson Kasati – Director General Maxcom Africa, Juma Rajabu – Founder and Executive Director Maxcom Africa and Sunny Walia, The General Manager (East Africa) of Visa.

Visa has announced partnership with Maxcom Africa PLC which will enable more than 30,000 retailers in Tanzania to accept Visa on mobile payments, as well as 20,000 local agents to conduct cash deposits and withdrawals.

“Visa is committed to bringing more convenient, reliable and secure ways to pay everywhere around the world. Now, in addition to plastic cards, consumers can use their mobile phones to pay with Visa. Visa on mobile will enable consumers to pay merchants or send money to friends and family, directly from their bank account via their bank’s mobile banking services. It will also enable interoperable deposit and withdrawal services from appointed bank agents,” said Visa General Manager for East Africa, Sunny Walia.

The move is part of Visa’s strategic move to provide mobile payment services across East Africa.

In Kenya, Visa has been successful in launching partnerships with Barclays Bank, Cooperative Bank, Ecobank, Family Bank, KCB Bank, National Bank of Kenya, NIC Bank, Prime Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank.

Maxcom Africa, a local Tanzanian-owned company that is better known as Maxmalipo, aims to provide a simple, secure and reliable way for individuals and businesses to make and accept payments in Tanzania.

“Our core aim is to help businesses provide their customers with a variety of payment options to transact seamlessly and securely on their mobile devices. Integrating Visa on Mobile enables us to offer more flexibility when our customers transact online, at physical point of sale or at bank agents,” said Maxcom Africa Director General, Jameson Kasati.

Maxcom currently provides e-payment services on utility payments, transport sector, health and insurance, financial services and merchant payment services. Visa have approved Maxcom Africa as an innovative partner with secured platforms to fulfil the financial inclusion agenda in Tanzania.

Merchants enrolled to Visa on mobile will receive a unique QR code with a Till Number that customers can scan using a smartphone or key enter using a feature phone respectively to make the payments. The funds move directly from the consumer’s bank account into the merchant’s account and provides real-time notification to both parties.

Enrolled bank agents will also receive a QR code with a Till Number that consumers can scan using a smartphone or key entered from a feature phone respectively to deposit or withdraw funds into or from enabled bank accounts.

The partnership, powered by a local Bank, CRDB Bank, aims to rollout Visa on mobile to not only accelerate digital commerce in the country, but also ensure a good consumer experience.