Mastercard, Flowcart Bring Card Payments to East African Social Commerce

Social commerce is expanding across Africa as merchants increasingly use social media and messaging channels to showcase products, take orders and communicate with customers. Payments, however, can remain fragmented when shoppers must leave a conversation to complete a purchase. Mastercard’s partnership with Kenyan social-commerce company Flowcart aims to close that gap by embedding card payments directly into conversational shopping journeys, supporting wider digital-payment adoption among businesses and consumers.

The companies will begin the rollout in Kenya before expanding across East Africa and into South Africa, markets they identify as high-growth opportunities. The integration is designed to provide secure, seamless card checkout within Flowcart’s social and conversational-commerce workflows, shortening the path from customer engagement to payment. Mastercard and Flowcart did not disclose an investment amount, transaction target or detailed launch timetable for the broader regional expansion.