By Ayomide Otitoju
Orange Money and Visa have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating online payments and expanding access to financial services across Africa and the Middle East.
The partnership, which has already been successfully deployed in Botswana, Madagascar and Jordan—where it has been renewed—recently recorded another milestone with the launch of the Orange Money Visa virtual card in Côte d’Ivoire. The companies said the rollout in Côte d’Ivoire was successful and reflects their shared vision of building a more inclusive and accessible financial ecosystem.
Under the collaboration, the Orange Money Visa virtual card provides users with a simple, secure and internationally recognised payment solution. Building on the success recorded in initial markets, the service will be gradually extended to additional countries, including Guinea, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The virtual card is directly accessible through the Max it app, allowing users to instantly generate a Visa card and fund it at any time from their Orange Money account. This enables secure online payments on both local and international websites. A physical card is also expected to be made available at authorised Orange Money points of sale at a later stage.
Orange Money said the partnership aligns with its mission to promote financial inclusion by simplifying access to digital services and enabling more people to participate in the digital economy, regardless of location or device. Visa’s global acceptance network and expertise in secure digital payments are expected to ensure a seamless and trusted user experience.
Commenting on the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange Money Group, Thierry Millet, said the partnership would allow the company’s 45 million customers to make everyday payments at millions of physical retail outlets and online merchants. He added that users can now create a virtual Visa card within seconds and make international online payments across the Visa network, describing the launch as the first step toward making Orange Money a widely accepted payment method globally.
Also speaking, Visa’s Vice-President and General Manager for Western and Central Francophone and Lusophone Africa, Ismahill Diaby, said the partnership would help bring the benefits of the digital economy to millions of people across Africa. He noted that combining Visa’s technology with Orange Money’s local reach would provide individuals and small businesses with a secure and convenient way to pay online.
Orange currently serves more than 173 million customers, with 45 million active Orange Money accounts across 17 African countries, as it continues to drive digital and financial transformation on the continent with the support of Visa’s payment technology.
