Mastercard, Flowcart enable in-chat card payments across East Africa

Mastercard has partnered with Flowcart to launch secure in-chat card payments in Kenya, with plans to expand across East Africa and into South Africa, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. The service lets consumers discover products, place orders and complete payments without leaving a messaging conversation.

The offering combines Flowcart’s AI-powered commerce orchestration platform with Mastercard’s payments network and Gateway technology. Payments can be completed inside messaging threads through embedded links, QR codes or native checkout flows. Card details are tokenized to speed repeat purchases and reduce friction for returning customers. A network of acquiring partners will support local acceptance.

The rollout begins in Kenya, where messaging apps are a major commerce channel. Mastercard and Flowcart say WhatsApp handles more than 20% of online shopping orders in the country. The in-chat option is aimed at social sellers, small and medium-sized enterprises and creators who sell directly through messaging and social platforms and do not use a website or conventional point-of-sale hardware.

Mastercard described the integration as part of its Merchant Cloud portfolio, with Mastercard Gateway providing a single technical connection to simplify acceptance across channels and markets. The platform is designed to plug into existing commerce systems and to work with acquirers, fintechs, mobile network operators and other commerce platforms to broaden digital payment access.

The partners expect the chat-to-pay flow to improve payment completion and raise repeat purchases by removing the need to redirect customers to external sites or apps during checkout. They also expect increased transaction frequency for merchants and wider acceptance in informal and creator-led segments of the economy.

Shehryar Ali, senior vice president and country manager for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands at Mastercard, said: “Social commerce is redefining how consumers discover and engage with brands. Our collaboration with Flowcart enables us to embed secure, seamless payments directly into these experiences, unlocking new growth opportunities for merchants and expanding digital payment acceptance in one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital economies.”

Ananth Gudipati, founder of Flowcart, commented that the partnership will allow businesses from independent social sellers to large brands using WhatsApp as a core commerce channel to transact within conversations. “Together, we are enabling a future where commerce and payments happen seamlessly within conversations, driving higher conversion, repeat purchases and meaningful growth for merchants,” he added.

The agreement responds to a stated need among Kenyan businesses for simpler payment methods. The 2026 Mastercard SME Confidence Index found 80% of Kenyan SMEs identify simple, seamless and user-friendly payments as a top requirement for future growth. Mastercard and Flowcart say they will add acquiring relationships and integrate local commerce systems to scale the service across pan-African markets.