Mastercard — global payments company; produces SME confidence indices and inclusive payment products like the Touch Card for blind and low-sighted users in Kenya.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… Mbadi further justified plans to impose withholding tax on card and digital payment services involving foreign firms such as Visa and Mastercard. …
Mbadi: Finance Bill 2026 measures aim to simplify taxesCapital News
… Other executives from Apple, Tesla, Boeing, Meta, BlackRock, Blackstone, Cargill, Citigroup, Coherent, GE Aerospace, Goldman Sachs, Illumina, Mastercard, Micron Technology, Qualcomm and Visa are also accompanying Trump. …
Why Trump’s Air Force One stopped in Alaska before flying to BeijingCitizen Digital
… Both banks have taken their tap-to-pay solutions beyond Kenya, enabling customers to use their wearables in global markets supported by Mastercard and Visa. …
Kenyan banks tap into rings, watches and wristbands for paymentsAccording to Mastercard's 2026 SME Confidence Index, 66% of Kenyan small and medium-sized enterprises are confident about their business outlook, with 70% expecting revenue growth over the next 12 months. Already, 95% of Kenyan SMEs accept mobile payments, which account for 41% of transaction volume, and 39% accept online payments.
28 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
According to Mastercard's 2026 SME Confidence Index, 66% of Kenyan small and medium-sized enterprises are confident about their business outlook, with 70% expecting revenue growth over the next 12 months. Already, 95% of Kenyan SMEs accept mobile payments, which account for 41% of transaction volume, and 39% accept online payments.
28 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Kenyan payments company Kenswitch has launched a domestic card scheme to offer Kenyan banks an alternative to Visa and Mastercard, expanding from connecting financial institutions into card issuance and acceptance.
27 September 2026 · The Standard →
East Africa has made progress connecting people to digital payments, but as more commerce moves online, trust and security are becoming the deciding factors for whether people and businesses participate in transactions. According to Mastercard's 2026 SME Confidence Index, 95% of Kenyan SMEs accept mobile payments and 39% accept online payments.
23 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Mastercard's chief community and belonging officer argues that companies must measure inclusion as a profit and loss statement, not merely a workplace value, and demonstrate it through tangible products—citing the Mastercard Touch Card, designed with blind and low-sighted people, as an example of inclusion that has scaled across ATMs and point-of-sale terminals.
17 August 2026 · The Standard →
INTERPOL's 2026 African Cyberthreat Assessment Report reveals that 55 percent of cybercrimes reported across Africa involve artificial intelligence, reflecting an automated underground economy where criminal networks use advanced technologies to launch attacks faster and at greater scale across multiple countries simultaneously. The report identifies East Africa as a hub for mobile money fraud and infrastructure-targeted ransomware, while business email compromise and romance scams target victims in Central and West Africa.
4 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Airtel Money Kenya has unveiled Bizna Wallet, a dedicated business wallet designed to help small businesses manage their finances through a digital solution. According to the Mastercard SME Confidence Index, 95 per cent of Kenya's SMEs now accept mobile payments, reflecting growing demand for financial solutions.
3 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
SBM Bank Kenya recorded a 171.3 per cent increase in profit before tax to KSh548 million for the first half of 2026, driven by growth in lending, deposits, and non-interest income. Operating profit rose 279 per cent to KSh852 million, customer deposits increased 24 per cent to KSh94 billion, and net loans and advances grew 18 per cent to KSh54.1 billion.
22 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The European Union is moving forward with a digital euro as an alternative to US payment platforms like Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. If EU negotiations approve the rules by end of year, the digital euro could be available to citizens in 2029, with a pilot programme planned for mid-2027.
23 June 2026 · The Standard →
A Mastercard study shows that 70% of Kenya's small and medium enterprises expect revenue growth over the next 12 months, with 66% optimistic about their business outlook. The confidence is attributed to their early adoption of mobile money, with 95% of SMEs now accepting mobile payments that make up 41% of transaction volume.
19 June 2026 · The Standard →
A Mastercard study finds 66% of Kenyan SMEs optimistic about business outlook and 70% expecting revenue growth over the next 12 months, with 95% accepting mobile payments that account for 41% of transaction volume.
18 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has defended the Finance Bill 2026, saying the government has deliberately avoided introducing punitive taxes and instead focused on simplifying tax administration, widening the tax base, and protecting struggling Kenyans. Mbadi acknowledged that measures to raise more taxes are limited due to public concerns over high taxation and increasing debt servicing obligations.
25 May 2026 · The Standard →
US President Donald Trump's Air Force One stopped in Anchorage to refuel during his departure for Beijing. The stop reflects operational limits of the Boeing VC-25A aircraft, which faces range constraints on the roughly 6,500 to 7,000 nautical mile journey from Washington D.C. to Beijing when accounting for communications equipment, security systems, personnel, cargo, and emergency fuel reserves.
13 May 2026 · Capital News →
ABSA Bank, DTB Bank and Premier Bank are offering contactless payment solutions integrated into wearable devices like smartwatches, rings and wristbands, which customers can tap on POS terminals. The banks have implemented security measures including transaction limits, PIN requirements, and real-time fraud detection to address risks from potential loss or theft.
24 April 2026 · Citizen Digital →