MWC26: MTN expands mobile money interoperability across Africa to boost financial inclusion
Date: 2026-03-03
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
MTN’s
MoMo mobile money platform is rapidly expanding interoperability across Africa,
transforming from a closed wallet system into an open financial ecosystem
connecting customers, banks, merchants, and partners. At an industry panel at
MWC Barcelona, Serigne Dioum, Group Fintech CEO at MTN, highlighted the
company’s approach to scaling interoperability sustainably while ensuring
customer protection and partner incentives.
MoMo’s
interoperability now covers wallet-to-wallet transfers, wallet-to-bank
integrations, national payment switches such as Ghana Interbank Payment and
Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS),
cross-border remittances, and merchant/API-driven connectivity. Across MTN’s 14
markets, this expansion is enabling faster, more reliable, and affordable
financial transactions tailored to local needs.
Dioum
emphasized customer protection through transparent pricing, real-time
monitoring, AI-driven fraud detection, instant transaction notifications, and
robust dispute resolution frameworks. He also noted that fair value sharing
with ecosystem partners is critical to maintaining commercially viable
incentives.
The
initiative aims not only to improve money transfers but also to build
inclusive, interoperable digital financial systems that unlock everyday
financial services for millions of Africans, supporting broader financial
inclusion across the continent.
