• Partnership covers Madagascar, Comoros, Senegal, Togo, and Tanzania

• Users to access virtual and physical cards through MVola and Mixx apps

• Deal aims to expand financial inclusion and support small businesses

The Axian Group has announced a partnership with Mastercard to launch a suite of payment solutions in the countries where it operates. Announced in late November 2025, the agreement covers Madagascar, the Comoros, Senegal, Togo, and Tanzania, five markets where the group is active through its fintech and telecom services.

The partnership aims to provide households and small businesses with modern tools to send and receive payments, including virtual and physical cards linked to the Mixx and MVola applications. Users will be able to create and top up a digital card directly from their smartphone, make online purchases, carry out merchant payments, and manage transactions with real-time tracking.

For Axian, the initiative is part of a broader effort to accelerate financial inclusion and support small and medium-sized enterprises, which often struggle due to limited access to formal payment solutions. For Mastercard, it strengthens its presence in Africa and aligns with its strategy of working with local operators to broaden access to digital financial services.

This move by Mastercard echoes similar partnerships by Visa, including recent cooperation with Maroc Telecom and a previous agreement with Airtel about a decade ago. It is expected to help modernize local economic ecosystems, facilitate e-commerce, and improve payment interoperability across the region.

Adoni Conrad Quenum