Orange Money–Visa virtual cards boost Africa e-commerce

A new Orange Money–Visa pact aims to turn millions of mobile wallets into cards that work online and abroad, expanding acceptance while tightening security and compliance.

Key takeaways: virtual cards and global acceptance

Orange Money Group and Visa are expanding a strategic partnership that brings a virtual Visa card into the Orange “Max it” app, letting users fund purchases directly from their mobile money balance for local and international e-commerce. The service is live in Botswana, Madagascar, Jordan, and now Côte d’Ivoire, with rollouts planned for Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. For Orange Middle East and Africa, which serves over 170 million customers in 17 countries and counts tens of millions of active mobile money wallets, this extends acceptance to the global Visa network while preserving the simplicity of a wallet-led user experience. A physical card will follow via Orange’s retail points of sale.

Why it matters for Africa’s e-commerce and SMEs

Sub-Saharan Africa’s mobile money systems are ubiquitous for P2P and bill pay, but online card acceptance remains fragmented and cross-border commerce is hard for consumers and small businesses. E-commerce growth, interoperable payment projects, and accelerating digital ID efforts are reshaping the landscape. By binding a globally accepted credential to a locally trusted wallet, Orange and Visa lower barriers to online spend, open access to international merchants and app stores, and give SMEs a path to pay suppliers or subscribe to SaaS tools. The move also signals deeper telco–fintech convergence, where operators leverage distribution, identity, and data assets to monetize payments and adjacent financial services.

How the Orange Money–Visa card works

The collaboration blends Orange’s mobile money reach with Visa’s acceptance and risk controls to unlock card-not-present payments at scale.

Virtual card features and user experience

Users can generate a virtual Visa card instantly in the Max it app and top it up from their Orange Money account. The card supports online purchases on domestic and international sites, bringing a broad e-commerce catalog within reach of wallet users without requiring a bank account. The design keeps funding, spend controls, and balance visibility inside the wallet app, reducing friction. A physical card is planned to extend usage to point-of-sale and ATM contexts where appropriate. Expect modern security measures typical of virtual cards, such as tokenization and step-up authentication, to mitigate card-not-present risk.

Market rollout and country coverage

The service builds on deployments in Botswana, Madagascar, and Jordan, with a recent launch in Côte d’Ivoire. Additional markets on the near-term roadmap include Guinea, Burkina Faso, and the DRC, with potential to scale across Orange’s 17-country MEA footprint. This phased approach allows for localization of compliance, FX, and settlement flows with local acquirers and processors.

Impact on telcos, fintechs, and merchants

Card rails plus mobile money changes unit economics, risk, and addressable market for multiple stakeholders.

Benefits and requirements for telcos and wallets

Virtual cards can lift wallet utility beyond cash-in/cash-out and domestic pay, supporting higher-yield transactions and new take-rate opportunities. They also enable card-on-file relationships that reduce churn and increase lifetime value. With acceptance comes responsibility: operators need mature fraud ops, chargeback handling, and compliance teams aligned to card network rules. The card layer also creates on-ramps to lending, BNPL, subscriptions, and micro-insurance, provided risk models are robust.

Merchant and SaaS acceptance guidance

Merchants gain access to customers who previously could not pay online or cross-border. Acceptance is straightforward—process Visa as usual via existing PSPs or local acquirers—while optimization will hinge on 3-D Secure 2.x use, risk-based authentication, and local routing to improve authorization rates. Marketplaces should plan for tiered KYC on sellers, currency conversion transparency, and clear dispute workflows to manage chargebacks initiated through card rails.

Security, integration, and compliance

Scaling wallet-linked cards safely requires disciplined implementation across security, integration, and regulation.

EMV, PCI DSS, tokenization, and 3‑D Secure

Enterprises should expect alignment with EMV and PCI DSS for card data handling, and broad use of tokenization to protect credentials. 3-D Secure 2.x can cut friction with risk-based step-up. Device binding, behavioral analytics, and FIDO-based authentication can further reduce social engineering and SIM swap exposure. Merchants should ensure their PSPs support network tokenization and exemptions where allowed to boost approval rates.

Top-up, authorization, and settlement flows

Wallet-to-card top-up, authorization, and reconciliation will traverse multiple systems. ISO 20022 adoption across real-time clearing can simplify data-rich reconciliation, though many markets are mid-migration. Enterprises selling into these markets should validate acquirer coverage, currency options, and settlement timing, and monitor cross-border fees and FX spreads. Data minimization and privacy controls are essential where data localization rules apply.

KYC tiers, AML, and regulatory alignment

Tiered KYC frameworks common in mobile money (e.g., basic vs. enhanced limits) will shape card issuance and spend ceilings. Compliance with central bank rules, e-money licenses, and card network dispute timelines is critical. Certifications such as the GSMA Mobile Money Certification can signal operational maturity. Participation in regional initiatives like the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System is worth tracking for future interoperability.

Key risks: fraud and friction to scale

Friction and fraud are the two failure modes that most often stall scale.

Managing CNP fraud, disputes, and education

Card-not-present fraud, account takeover, and social engineering remain key threats. Countermeasures include velocity limits, device fingerprinting, dynamic CVV, and strong customer authentication. Clear consumer education on safe online purchasing and refund processes will reduce support load. Merchants should prepare for higher initial dispute rates as first-time online buyers enter the ecosystem.

Operational and connectivity challenges

Variable connectivity, agent network dependence for cash-in/out, and multilingual support can affect activation and usage. Physical card distribution requires rigorous KYC at issuance and lost/stolen flows. Ensuring USSD or lightweight app paths for balance checks and controls will help in bandwidth-constrained areas.

KPIs to track and next steps

Early execution signals will indicate whether wallet-linked cards can sustainably expand Africa’s online payment pie.

Activation, auth rates, cross-border spend, fraud

Monitor activation and first-purchase rates in Côte d’Ivoire, authorization rates by merchant category, and cross-border spend share. Watch rollout cadence into additional francophone markets, partnerships with local acquirers, and evidence of fraud containment. Inclusion metrics—such as first-time online buyers and SME adoption—will show whether the model broadens access rather than cannibalizing existing cardholders.

Merchant and telco action plan

Merchants: ensure Visa acceptance, enable 3-D Secure 2.x, and work with PSPs that support network tokens and local acquiring in target markets. Optimize checkout for low-bandwidth devices and offer local currency pricing. Telcos and fintechs: invest in fraud analytics, dispute ops, and developer-friendly APIs/SDKs for wallet and card integration. Align KYC tiers with risk appetite and product limits. Both sides should review fees, FX, and settlement to protect margins, and pursue co-marketing to drive initial activation and card-on-file placement.