Scale partners with Mastercard to simplify card issuance in Africa
Scale, a South African fintech startup, has partnered with Mastercard to streamline card product issuance for businesses in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The collaboration addresses complex multi-party coordination (issuing banks, payment networks, BIN sponsors) that slows product launches and increases operational complexity across African markets. Scale provides issuing infrastructure, onboarding tools, and regulatory support while Mastercard contributes its global payments network and market expertise. In Kenya, the partnership primarily reduces complexity for existing fintechs amid growing card usage for e-commerce. In markets like Senegal, Ivory Coast, Zambia, and Zimbabwe where cards are less common, the focus is on enabling new use cases such as companion wallet cards, SME corporate cards, and government payout cards. This follows Scale's $700,000 funding in 2024 and aligns with McKinsey's projection of Africa's financial services revenues reaching $230 billion in 2025. The partnership gives Scale credibility to expand across five markets, though operational depth in regions with established mobile money remains a challenge.