Mastercard Launches Strive: A Global Small Business Initiative to Accelerate Economic Recovery

Posted on by Staff Writer | 3875 Views | 33 min read

Strive kicks off with initial commitment of $25 million in philanthropic funding to strengthen financial resilience and growth of small businesses globally   Micro and small enterprises are important contributors to job creation and global economic development, representing approximately 90% of business and more than 50% of employment worldwide. However, the pandemic necessitated a rapid shift

Visa Expands She’s Next initiative in Africa, Empowering Women Entrepreneurs with Digital Capabilities

Posted on by Staff Writer | 6960 Views | 16 min read

New Visa research reveals that 54% of ‘cash only’ merchants have missed business opportunities, with 70% of women-owned businesses expecting eCommerce to expand beyond the pandemic September 23rd, 2021 – As the rate of women entrepreneurs across Sub-Saharan Africa continues to rise, Visa is expanding its global She’s Next initiative to empower women entrepreneurs on

EMVCo Publishes Guidance for EMV® 3-D Secure Transactions to Utilise EMV Payment Token Data

Posted on by Staff Writer | 5183 Views | 7 min read

New resources enable use of EMV Payment Token data for EMV 3DS authentication to support improved consumer experience. Global technical body EMVCo has published new resources to help card issuers and merchants to optimise the EMV® 3-D Secure (EMV 3DS) authentication experience for online shoppers when EMV Payment Tokens are in use, enhancing the fraud-prevention benefits that EMV 3DS provides.

Fintech Startup SOL Announces Rebrand with Exciting New Virtual Card Offering

Posted on by Staff Writer | 5172 Views | 9 min read

SOL unveils virtual card and new brand as it redefines the customer experience SOLmate, an online payment platform that offers clients a digital wallet facility, has unveiled an exciting new product offering together with an extensive rebrand and renewed corporate vision. Following a name change to SOLmate, the fintech has launched a new, innovative virtual

Listed Zip to Unleash Africa Growth with the Acquisition of SA’s Payflex

Posted on by Staff Writer | 5364 Views | 12 min read

ASX-listed Zip Co Limited has announced its intention to fully acquire South African buy now pay later (BNPL) fintech Payflex as part of its global expansion plans. With a presence in twelve markets across five continents, Zip plans to grow the South African business and expand into other African markets with sizable underbanked, digitally savvy populations

Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index: 78% of SMEs in Retail Across Middle East and Africa Optimistic About Future Growth

Posted on by Staff Writer | 6361 Views | 22 min read

78% of SMEs in region’s retail sector are optimistic about the next 12 months, according to Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index SME confidence levels were highest among businesses in retail, ahead of other sectors, like food and beverage, entertainment, construction, and manufacturing Research identified key areas with the greatest potential for growth with half of

Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index: 74% of SMEs in Construction and Manufacturing Across Middle East and Africa Optimistic About Future Growth

Posted on by Staff Writer | 43058 Views | 20 min read

74% of the region’s small and medium businesses in construction and manufacturing are optimistic about the next 12 months, according to Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index SME confidence levels were highest among businesses in retail, while construction and manufacturing had most businesses forecasting increases to steady revenues Research identified key areas with the greatest potential

RBR | Challengers Gain Share in Buoyant Self-Checkout Market

Posted on by Staff Writer | 4541 Views | 10 min read

Six vendors supplied more than 10,000 terminals each in 2020, as shipments reached a new record high of 175,000 globally Fierce competition between self-checkout vendors as market hots up Momentum in the self-checkout revolution kept up in 2020, with shipments booming by 25% globally, according to Global EPOS and Self-Checkout 2021, a new study by

Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index: 76% of SMEs in Food, Beverage, Entertainment across Middle East and Africa Optimistic About Future Growth

Posted on by Staff Writer | 40063 Views | 23 min read

76% of the region’s small and medium businesses in food, beverage, and entertainment are optimistic about the next 12 months, according to Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index SME confidence levels in the region were highest among businesses in retail, closely followed by food, beverage, and entertainment sector Research identified key areas with the greatest potential

Women Entrepreneurs Lead the way in Digital Presence, According to Mastercard SME Research in Middle East and Africa

Posted on by Staff Writer | 23271 Views | 18 min read

81% of women entrepreneurs across the Middle East and Africa have a digital business presence according to Mastercard MEA SME Confidence Index Latest research by Mastercard highlights high digitalization among women-owned businesses as opportunity for broader SME recovery and digital economy growth Despite the gender gap and social challenges, entrepreneurial women across the world and