Solidaire Banque, a Kinshasa-based financial institution, has signed a three-year partnership with global payments company Visa to strengthen electronic payment services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agreement is part of broader efforts to modernize the country’s financial infrastructure and expand access to digital banking solutions.
Under the partnership, Solidaire Banque plans to launch new debit cards across Classic, Platinum, and Infinite segments, as well as prepaid products tailored to individual and business clients. The bank will also develop targeted credit services for premium customers, leveraging Visa’s global network to expand its product offerings and reach.
On the technology side, the collaboration will integrate Visa Pay, a platform enabling the instant issuance of virtual payment cards. The system is designed to support the bank’s digital transition and meet growing demand for mobile payment solutions, which have surged in the DRC in recent years.
“This partnership with Visa will accelerate Solidaire Banque’s transformation into a leading digital bank, providing convenient, secure, and accessible payment solutions for our customers,” a bank spokesperson said.
For Visa, the agreement reinforces its presence in the DRC, where it opened its first Central Africa office in 2022. The company also plans to collaborate with the Central Bank of Congo to modernize national financial infrastructure and promote interoperability across banks and digital payment platforms.
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The move comes amid rapid growth in mobile payments and financial inclusion in the DRC. According to the GSMA, financial inclusion has reached 50%, up from 38.5% in 2022, largely driven by mobile money services that reported approximately 23.1 million users in early 2024. Mobile penetration in the country is estimated at 60.4%, giving banks an opportunity to capture a growing share of digital transactions, which remain dominated by telecommunications operators.
Regulatory frameworks are also evolving to support this growth. Authorities are implementing a national financial inclusion strategy for 2023–2028, including the establishment of a national interbank electronic payments group to coordinate transactions across the banking sector and improve connectivity between financial institutions.
Industry analysts project that the expansion of digital technologies in the DRC could generate around 11,800 billion Congolese francs (roughly $5.1 billion) in additional economic value by 2029. The sector could also create nearly 2.5 million jobs and increase tax revenues by approximately 3,000 billion Congolese francs.
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By combining Visa’s global expertise with Solidaire Banque’s local network, the partnership is expected to accelerate the adoption of electronic payments, enhance financial inclusion, and support the DRC’s broader economic development goals.
