Visa Digital Wallet Tokenisation Enabled for Card Issuers in CEMEA

After months of deep technical work and complex partner coordination, Onafriq is now one of the first prepaid card processors in CEMEA to support Visa digital wallet tokenisation.

From e-commerce cardholders in West African countries like Nigeria and the Republic of Benin to in-store shoppers in Southern Africa, the ask remains the same: payment security and a seamless experience from start to finish.

Across CEMEA, digital payments are evolving fast to meet that expectation. Yet friction and fraud remain real challenges, with payment issues accounting for up to 44% of digital transaction abandonment.

Tokenisation addresses both challenges directly by replacing sensitive card data with secure digital tokens that protect transactions and keep payments from failing at checkout. According to Visa, tokenisation drove a 30% reduction in fraud and a 6% improvement in approvals in 2024.

Enabling tap-to-pay for card partners across markets

With this certification, Onafriq's card infrastructure can now support tap-to-pay and e-commerce transactions via Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Garmin Pay in supported markets.

Our card partners gain access to a capability that was previously out of reach for many issuers in the region, enabling them to offer cardholders a faster way to pay, while reducing fraud, decreasing chargebacks and improving authorisation rates.

UBA Benin, the first prepaid issuer in Benin to offer Visa tap-to-pay

Through Onafriq's card infrastructure, UBA Benin has become the first prepaid issuer in Benin to offer Visa tap-to-pay transactions, bringing a faster, more secure payment experience to their cardholders at the point of sale.

Within two weeks of the production enablement, we saw that 1% of UBA Benin cardholders had already tokenised their cards during pilot verification. This feature is an added enhancement that the prepaid market is eager to unlock.

What’s next?

As tokenisation becomes the standard for card payments across CEMEA, Onafriq is ready to support partners looking to offer cardholders a faster, more secure way to pay.

If you're ready to explore this for your card program, our regional experts are always available to guide you through every step.

To find out if your market is supported, contact your account manager or learn more here.