Mastercard, Flowcart partner to enable chat-based payments

Mastercard has entered a strategic collaboration with Flowcart to embed secure card payments directly within social and conversational commerce platforms like WhatsApp.

Initially launching in Kenya, the collaboration will expand across East Africa and into key high-growth markets including South Africa, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, followed by broader scaling across pan-African markets.

Mastercard said the initiative allows consumers to discover products, place orders and complete payments within a single chat-based journey, eliminating the need to redirect users to external websites or apps.

It said the partnership is positioned to scale across multiple regions and aims to accelerate the adoption of in-chat payments while significantly improving payment completion rates.

The partnership combinesFlowcart’s AI-powered commerce orchestration platformwith Mastercard’s global payment network.

Shehryar Ali, SVP and country manager for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands at Mastercard and Saad Latif, director of commercial operations at Flowcart

Kenya has seen a rise in conversational commerce in recent years.

Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya shows thatWhatsApp accounted for over 20% of all online shopping ordersin Kenya in mid-2025, surpassing traditional e-commerce websites which only made up 12% of transactions.

Shehryar Ali, senior vice president and country manager for East Africa and Indian Ocean Islands at Mastercard said that 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 <a href="https://bitcomme.com/is-flexible-work-limiting-learning-opportunities-for-young-employees/” title=”Is flexible work limiting learning opportunities for young employees?”>opportunities for merchants and expanding digital payment acceptance in one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital economies,” Ali explained.

The payment solution is designed to also support Kenya’s rapidly growing creator economy, empowering social sellers to monetize their audience directly within the platforms where they engage them.

Payments are completed within the conversation using embedded links, QR codes or native checkout flows powered by Mastercard Gateway and its network of acquiring partners.

Ananth Gudipati, founder at Flowcart, said that the collaboration will positively impact how businesses transact in social channels – whether that’s an independent social seller, a fast-growing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) or a large enterprise brand running WhatsApp as a core commerce channel.

The2026 Mastercard SME Confidence Indexrevealed that 80% of Kenyan SMEs identified simple, seamless and user-friendly payment methods as a top requirement for future growth.

For merchants, the Mastercard-Flowcart partnership aims to simplify digital commerce without requiring websites or traditional point-of-sale systems.