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The collaboration equips companies with tools to issue and manage corporate cards directly through the AFS Pro application, according to a joint statement issued by the two organizations. Businesses will gain the ability to establish spending limits, observe transactions as they occur and simplify expense reconciliation within one digital interface. Mastercard’s global acceptance network and security protocols underpin the offering while Arab Financial Services contributes its established infrastructure across the Middle East and Africa.
Beyond basic card functions the AFS Pro system creates an end-to-end business payments environment that supports incoming payment acceptance tracking and cash-flow optimisation the companies stated. This unified platform seeks to minimise operational silos that often complicate corporate finance in the region. Deployment will start in the UAE with subsequent extension into the Egyptian market later this year.
Dr Samer Soliman group chief executive of Arab Financial Services highlighted the strategic value of the tie-up in the announcement. “As a leader in corporate payments and digital transformation Mastercard is our trusted partner in our expansion into the two new key growth markets” Soliman said. “Our landmark alliance is a major win for businesses in the UAE and Egypt as it significantly boosts efficiency visibility and control over corporate spending.”
Arab Financial Services which began operations in 1984 counts 37 banks and financial institutions among its owners and maintains a presence in more than 20 countries according to company background information. The Bahrain-headquartered fintech holds regulation from the Central Bank of Bahrain and the Central Bank of Egypt in addition to a licence from the Central Bank of the UAE. Its product range already encompasses open banking hubs digital wallets and merchant acquisition services that the new corporate card initiative will complement.
The development corresponds with accelerating digital payment adoption across the Middle East where research referenced in connection with Mastercard programmes has shown that 45 percent of UAE companies are allocating resources to mobile technology for business-to-business transactions. Similar Mastercard collaborations in the UAE have previously focused on virtual cards and expense digitisation with local partners to reduce reliance on cash and manual processes. In Egypt the payments company has supported initiatives including USD corporate debit cards that facilitate direct cross-border settlements for enterprises of varying sizes.
Banks and financial institutions can integrate the solution rapidly with limited technical overhead the statement noted allowing them to introduce differentiated corporate offerings without substantial in-house builds. The approach targets small and medium-sized enterprises that represent a substantial share of commercial activity in both the UAE and Egypt. Real-time data and control features are positioned to support more informed financial decision-making across these business segments.
