Mastercard links with Delivery Hero in North Africa and the Middle East

Mastercard data shows that almost half of all spend in recent months was online, for every $100 spent in MEA, nearly half ($47) was spent on ecommerce in May compared to $35 in February 2020.

Earlier this year, Mastercard made a pledge to bring a total of 1 billion people and 50 million micro and small businesses into the digital economy by 2025. Mastercard and Delivery Hero has now entered into a partnership to digitise payments, which allows customers to pay for deliveries with a contactless payment or through a digital wallet. The deal will also speed up payments for delivery riders and to restaurants. The deal also covers the Zomato, talabat, and Hungerstation brands across 8 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt. In all, more than 20 million customers will be able to pay for food deliveries via contactless payment or through a digital wallet. Even amid the rapid pace of digitisation in the Gulf, the deal with Delivery Hero stands out for its size and scope, covering more than 100,000 restaurants and more than 650,000 delivery riders.