Orange, Visa partner to boost online payments
Orange Money Group and Visa have announced a strategic partnership aimed at expanding access to secure online payments and accelerating financial inclusion across Africa and the Middle East, as digital commerce gains momentum across the region.
The partnership, which has already been deployed in Botswana, Madagascar and Jordan, where it has been renewed, was recently extended to the Ivory Coast with the launch of the Orange Money Visa virtual card.
The companies said in a statement that the Ivory Coast rollout recorded strong uptake, reinforcing their shared goal of building a more inclusive and accessible digital payments ecosystem.
Under the agreement, the virtual Visa card will be gradually rolled out to additional markets, including Guinea, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo, giving millions of users access to internationally accepted payment tools.
Accessible directly via the Maxit app, the Orange Money Visa virtual card allows users to instantly create a card that can be funded from their Orange Money wallet.
The card enables secure online payments on both local and international websites. A physical card is also expected to be introduced later through authorised Orange Money points of sale.
Orange Money said the partnership aligns with its mission to simplify access to digital financial services and empower individuals and businesses to participate more fully in the digital economy, regardless of location or device.
Chief Executive Officer of Orange Money Group, Thierry Millet, said the collaboration would expand payment options for the company’s growing customer base.
“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,” Millet said. “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.”
Millet added that the virtual card marks the first phase of a broader strategic partnership aimed at positioning Orange Money as a widely accepted payment method across global platforms and local merchants.
Vice-President and General Manager, Western and Central Francophone & Lusophone Africa, Visa, Ismahill Diaby, said the partnership would help more people and small businesses benefit from the digital economy.
“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,” Diaby said.
Orange operates across 17 countries in Africa, with more than 173 million customers and about 45 million active Orange Money accounts, as the telecoms group continues to deepen its role in the continent’s digital and financial transformation, supported by Visa’s global payments infrastructure.
