• Visa launched Visa Pay app in Kinshasa on Sept 4.

• App supports FC/USD payments, transfers, and virtual cards.

• Five partner banks onboard; more to join soon.

Visa, a global leader in digital payments, launched its mobile application, Visa Pay, in Kinshasa on September 4, 2025, to broaden access to digital financial services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The app allows users to make money transfers, merchant payments, in-person deposits and withdrawals, and online purchases using virtual cards. It supports transactions in both Congolese Franc (FC) and U.S. Dollar (USD).

According to Sophie Kafuti, Visa's General Manager for the DRC, the initiative aims to "stimulate the growth of digital payments and support financial inclusion." She stated that the app ensures interoperability, security, speed, and reduced transaction costs.

"Today in the DRC, several payment systems and ecosystems are fragmented," Kafuti said. "As a network that aspires to be the best solution to pay and get paid, we are providing interoperability that can reduce transaction costs and create a more inclusive environment. With Visa Pay, payments become secure, fast, and reliable, accessible to everyone from students to the elderly, whether they are banked or unbanked."

Designed to be low on memory and mobile data consumption, Visa Pay also facilitates banking access. For those without a bank account, the app offers the option to open a low-cost account with partner banks, thanks to agreements with Visa, explained François Jurd De Girancourt, Visa's Vice President of Strategy for Central Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).

The launch includes five partner banks: Access Banque, FBN, Sofibanque, Solidaire Banque, and UBA. Three other banks—BGFIBank, Equity Bank, and TMB—are expected to join soon. The app can also be directly integrated into banks' existing mobile platforms and is available on the App Store and Google Play Store.

Jurd De Girancourt noted that the DRC was chosen as the pilot market due to its high use of cash, which is well above the regional average, making alternative payment solutions a necessity for a country of its size. He also highlighted the DRC's favorable ecosystem, which includes banks and mobile financial service operators, providing a strong foundation for an interoperable and inclusive payment solution.

Since 2022, Visa has been expanding its local presence with a Kinshasa office and new partnerships, including one with Vodacom to issue 150,000 Visa-linked M-Pesa cards. The company also launched a $1 million financial education program with the Fund for Financial Inclusion (FPM).

Ronsard Luabeya, Kinshasa