Orange and Visa aim to boost access to financial services in MEA

Orange Money Group, the mobile money arm of telecom operator Orange, has signed a strategic partnership with payments company Visa to widen access to digital financial services in Africa and the Middle East.

The deal will let Orange Money customers make online payments more easily, expanding what they can do with their mobile wallets beyond basic transfers and cash-in/cash-out. By linking Orange’s reach in mobile money with Visa’s global payments network, the partners say they want to reduce barriers to formal financial services for people who are currently underserved in the banking system. Details on rollout timelines, pricing, and specific markets were not disclosed.