Delivery Hero picks Mastercard to digitise payments across MENA

Online delivery platform Delivery Hero has picked Mastercard to digitise its payment system across all its brands in the MENA region.

The project spans the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt, through Delivery Hero-owned brands including Talabat, HungerStation and Zomato.

Consumers who order food online through Delivery Hero’s apps will be able to pay on delivery with a contactless solution. Customers can also choose to pay through a digital wallet for their food orders.

The deal will also see the launch of a virtual card solution, through which over 650,000 delivery riders in the region will be able to receive instant access to their earnings, through their mobile devices, providing near real-time earnings disbursements. The riders can make everyday purchases in-store and online using the virtual card.

Additionally, partner restaurants will be able to settle payments of orders quicker through Delivery Hero’s regional brands. The restaurants can also make supplier purchases, pay employee salaries and transfer payments through the Mastercard platform.

“For Mastercard, this means consumers and business owners being able to pay safely and securely, delivery riders receiving access to financial services for the first time, thus driving greater financial inclusion and innovation across the region,” said Amnah Ajmal, executive vice-president for Market Development, MEA, Mastercard.

“As a trusted payments technology provider, we are committed to enabling our partners in their digital transformation journey and boosting the digital economy,” he added.

Read: Mastercard rolls out tokenisation technology in the GCC to protect online shoppers

The outbreak of Covid-19 has increased the importance of digital payments significantly. Within the first half-year of 2020, the share of orders paid online grew by over 40 per cent in the Middle East and Africa region.