CASABLANCA, Morocco, Nov. 4, 2026 (XOL Africa) — Mastercard has partnered with Samsung Electronics to introduce Samsung Pay in Morocco, expanding access to mobile payments as the North African country seeks to modernise its financial infrastructure and reduce reliance on cash transactions.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Mastercard said the service would allow eligible cardholders at participating Moroccan banks to make contactless payments using compatible Samsung smartphones and other supported devices, without requiring physical bank cards.
The launch represents a further expansion of digital payment options in Morocco, where banks, financial technology companies and international payment networks are competing to capture a growing market for electronic transactions.
The service uses Mastercard’s Digital Enablement Service (MDES), a tokenisation platform that replaces sensitive payment card information with unique digital identifiers during transactions.
The technology is designed to reduce the exposure of card credentials to fraud while allowing consumers to make payments through supported mobile devices.
Mastercard said the introduction of Samsung Pay would build on its existing relationships with Moroccan financial institutions and technology companies, extending digital payment capabilities to a broader range of consumers.
Mohamed Benomar, Mastercard’s country manager for North West Africa, said the partnership reflected the company’s strategy to expand consumer choice while strengthening payment security.
“At Mastercard, we believe the future of payments should give people more choice, greater convenience and confidence in every transaction,” Benomar said.
“Supporting Samsung Pay in Morocco is another important step in expanding access to secure digital payment experiences, underpinned by our tokenization technology: Mastercard Digital Enablement Service (MDES).”
He added that the company’s objective was to make digital transactions faster, simpler and more secure.
The expansion comes as Morocco continues efforts to develop its digital economy, improve financial inclusion and encourage wider adoption of electronic payments across retail and other commercial activities.
For banks, mobile wallets provide an additional channel for customers to access payment services without relying exclusively on physical cards. Merchants equipped with compatible contactless payment terminals can also accept transactions initiated through supported Samsung devices.
However, access to Samsung Pay will depend on customers holding eligible Mastercard cards issued by participating banks and using compatible devices.
The companies did not disclose the number of participating financial institutions, expected users or financial terms of the partnership.
Hongseok Lee, president of Samsung Electronics Maghreb Arab, said the launch would make mobile payments more accessible to users of the company’s Galaxy devices.
“With Samsung Pay, we want making a payment to feel as natural as using your smartphone or smartwatch,” Lee said.
“This launch marks another step in our commitment to providing Galaxy users with innovations that are simple, secure, and genuinely useful in everyday life.”
The partnership also supports Mastercard’s wider international strategy to increase the use of tokenised payments, with the company targeting tokenisation of all online transactions across its network by 2030.
Tokenisation has become an increasingly important component of digital payment infrastructure as banks and payment providers seek to limit fraud risks associated with the storage and transmission of card information.
For Morocco, the expansion of mobile wallet services could strengthen competition among digital payment providers and encourage greater use of contactless transactions, particularly in urban commercial centres.
The potential benefits for financial inclusion will nevertheless depend on access to banking services, compatible smartphones and payment acceptance infrastructure, particularly outside major cities.
Mastercard and Samsung said they would launch a joint promotional and consumer education campaign in Morocco to encourage adoption of Samsung Pay and explain its security features.
The initiative will focus on helping customers understand how to activate and use the service for everyday transactions.
The launch also reflects the growing importance of North Africa to international payment companies seeking to expand their presence in emerging digital commerce markets.
Morocco’s proximity to Europe, established banking industry and efforts to strengthen its digital economy have made it a market for financial technology investment and cross-border payment services.
For Mastercard, the partnership provides another opportunity to deepen its relationship with Moroccan banks and extend its technology into mobile commerce.
For Samsung, the service adds a financial application to its device ecosystem, potentially strengthening customer engagement in a competitive smartphone market.
The companies did not provide projections for transaction volumes or a timetable for expanding the service to additional Moroccan banks.
The success of the launch will depend on how quickly participating financial institutions enable the service and whether consumers adopt mobile wallets as an alternative to cash and conventional card payments.
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