Mastercard and Flash have announced a strategic collaboration that will expand access to secure digital payments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through the launch of physical and virtual prepaid cards.
The partnership enables Flash to extend its services beyond payment aggregation by issuing Mastercard prepaid cards, allowing customers to make secure online purchases and pay at point-of-sale terminals wherever Mastercard is accepted worldwide.
The collaboration represents an important milestone for financial inclusion in the DRC, a market of more than 100 million people where demand for accessible and convenient digital financial services continues to grow. By integrating Mastercard’s global payment network into FlashApp, users will gain greater flexibility while complementing the platform’s existing digital financial ecosystem.
Flash currently serves more than three million customers through a nationwide network of over 4,000 agents and 160 agencies across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Congo. Through FlashApp, users can already access more than 27 financial services, including mobile money, remittances, merchant payments and bill payments.
The addition of Mastercard prepaid cards expands these capabilities by enabling users to transact seamlessly both online and in physical stores, helping bridge the gap between cash-based transactions and the digital economy.
Flash Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Johannesen described the partnership as a significant milestone in modernising payments infrastructure across Central Africa, noting that it creates new opportunities for millions of underserved consumers to access secure card-based financial services.
Mastercard said the collaboration aligns with its commitment to advancing financial inclusion by combining its global payment infrastructure with Flash’s strong local presence to support greater participation in the digital economy.
As digital payments continue to gain momentum across Africa, partnerships such as this are expected to play a critical role in expanding financial access, driving innovation and accelerating the continent’s digital transformation.
