A specialist focus
Mercanera is an advisory firm dedicated to payments, cards, digital wallets, payment rails and digital transformation in emerging markets.
01 · FocusPayments & digital finance advisory
Building the payment ecosystems of the next era.
We advise banks, telecom operators, fintechs, payment providers and governments on how to design, launch and scale payments, cards, wallets and digital financial services.
Every engagement pairs practitioner experience with a network of specialists chosen for the task.
BankingBankingDigital banking, cards, payment gateways, self-service and branch automation, settlement and reconciliation
Public sectorGovernmentNational payment gateways, collections and disbursements, digital public services and B2B e-commerce
TelecomTelecomMobile wallets, P2P payments, digital cards, merchant acceptance and remittances
InclusionDevelopmentAgritech and financial-inclusion programmes
Who we are
Advice from people who have built and run payment businesses.
Built on the operating side
Our founding team has deployed banking technology, built national payment and e-government platforms, run mobile money and merchant ecosystems, and delivered financial-inclusion programmes with international development partners.
02 · HeritageAdvice that holds up in practice
Every recommendation is tested against real regulatory, commercial and operational constraints. We stay involved from strategy through to launch.
03 · DeliveryPractices
Expertise across the full payments stack.
Our twelve practices sit in three layers: the programmes that bring digital finance to whole sectors, the platforms customers and businesses use every day, and the infrastructure that moves money underneath them all.
Layer 1 · Transformation
Sector transformation & inclusion
Programmes that bring digital payments to whole sectors, public services and underserved communities.
Agritech & Financial Inclusion
Digital services for farmers and rural communities, designed hand in hand with development partners and financial institutions.
Government Digital Services
Electronic payments and digital journeys for public services: revenue collection and disbursements, citizen-facing platforms and B2B e-commerce.
Digital Transformation Strategy
Strategies, target operating models and portfolio roadmaps for institutions moving from legacy channels to digital businesses.
Partnerships & Ecosystems
Partnership strategy across banks, telcos, fintechs and card schemes, from commercial models to vendor selection and RFPs.
Featured layer
Featured
Layer 2 · Platforms
Customer & business platforms
The propositions consumers, merchants and organisations rely on every day.
Digital Wallets & P2P
Mobile money and wallet strategy covering agent networks, P2P transfers, bill payments, wallet-linked virtual and physical cards, tokenisation, and domestic and cross-border remittances.
Merchant & SME Business Platforms
Integrated platforms that help merchants accept payments, manage cash flow, pay staff, run operations and access finance.
Corporate Financial Services & Business Portals
Enterprise platforms for corporate accounts, HR-integrated payroll, employee finance, supplier payments, expense controls and treasury.
Digital Banking
Digital channels and propositions for banks: onboarding, instant digital cards and tokenisation, lending, digital wealth and insurance, open APIs, and the evolution of branch and self-service networks.
Layer 3 · Infrastructure
Payment infrastructure
The rails, networks and processing capabilities that every platform and programme depends on.
Payments & Card Ecosystems
Strategy and design for issuing, acquiring and card programmes, from debit and prepaid to credit and commercial cards.
Instant Payments & Payment Rails
Business cases, governance and architecture for real-time payment networks and national switching infrastructure.
Payment Gateways & E-Commerce
Gateway propositions, merchant integration models and online acceptance for banks, payment providers and government services.
Risk, Compliance & Regulation
AML and fraud frameworks, licensing preparation and regulator engagement for new payment and wallet services.
Featured practice
Merchant & SME Business Platforms Beyond payment acceptance.
As payment margins compress, the lasting opportunity lies in owning the merchant relationship.
That means supporting how merchants get paid, manage cash, pay staff, run operations and access finance.
We help banks, telecom operators, fintechs and payment providers design and scale integrated merchant platforms that grow merchants' businesses and create financial-services revenue beyond transactions.
01Onboarding & accountsDigital KYB/KYC, business profiles and multi-branch setup.
02Payments & cash flowPOS, SoftPOS, QR and online acceptance, plus settlements, reconciliation and payouts.
03Staff & payrollSimple payroll and salary disbursement for owner-run businesses.
04Business toolsSales reporting, invoicing, expenses and performance insights.
05Finance & growthWorking capital, merchant advances and insurance through licensed partners, plus loyalty and promotions.
How we help
Five workstreams, used together or on their ownStrategy & business modelTarget segments, value proposition, revenue model and the business case.
Proposition & product designMerchant journeys, feature scope and a phased product roadmap.
Platform architecture & partnersBuild-versus-partner decisions, vendor selection and ecosystem partnerships.
Pricing & commercialisationPricing models, bundles, merchant acquisition and go-to-market.
Operating model & launchProcesses, risk controls, organisation design and launch readiness.
Approach
From diagnosis to a live service.
Every engagement follows a clear path, scoped to what the client needs. Some clients bring us in for a single phase; others ask us to stay through launch.
Phase
Understand the market, the customer and the client's starting point.
- Market and competitor scan
- Stakeholder interviews
- Capability and gap assessment
Phase
Define what to build, for whom, and how it will make money.
- Proposition and journeys
- Business case and pricing
- Target architecture
Phase
Put the partners, people and approvals in place to deliver.
- Vendor selection and RFP
- Operating model
- Regulatory readiness
Phase
Support the go-live and the first growth cycles that follow.
- Launch governance
- Go-to-market execution
- Performance tracking
01Diagnose
Phase
Understand the market, the customer and the client's starting point.
- Market and competitor scan
- Stakeholder interviews
- Capability and gap assessment
02Design
Phase
Define what to build, for whom, and how it will make money.
- Proposition and journeys
- Business case and pricing
- Target architecture
03Mobilise
Phase
Put the partners, people and approvals in place to deliver.
- Vendor selection and RFP
- Operating model
- Regulatory readiness
04Launch & scale
Phase
Support the go-live and the first growth cycles that follow.
- Launch governance
- Go-to-market execution
- Performance tracking
How clients engage us
Six engagement types, combined to fit the mandate.
01
Strategy & business casesMarket entry, growth strategies and investment cases for boards, regulators and investors.
02
Proposition & product designCustomer and merchant propositions, product roadmaps and pricing.
03
Vendor selection & RFPsRequirements, RFP preparation, evaluation and negotiation support.
04
Operating model designOrganisation, processes, risk controls and partner governance.
05
Regulatory & licensing supportPreparing submissions and engaging regulators on new services.
06
Programme leadershipLaunch PMO and interim leadership for critical programmes.
Expert network
The right specialists for every engagement.
Mercanera combines a core advisory team with a pool of vetted subject-matter experts. Each project team is assembled around the client's specific needs.
Core team
Engagement leadershipOwns the client relationship, frames the problem and stands behind the quality of every deliverable.
Specialists
Domain subject-matter expertsBrought in for specific workstreams such as scheme rules, card processing, risk, regulation or technology architecture.
Partners
Delivery and technology partnersEngaged when a project needs implementation, research or local market support.
Where our specialists come from
Card issuing & processingAcquiring & merchant servicesInstant payments & switchingMobile money & walletsPayment gatewaysCross-border remittancesAML, fraud & riskPayments regulationDigital lending & credit scoringAgritech & rural financeE-government servicesSolution architectureData & analyticsProduct & UX
Scaled to the projectClients pay for the expertise the work needs, not a fixed pyramid of staff.
Practitioner depthOur specialists have built and operated the systems they advise on.
One accountable leadA Mercanera partner remains responsible from kick-off to final delivery.
Who we work with
Organisations shaping how money moves.
We work with the institutions that issue, move, regulate and invest in money, and with the businesses that depend on them.
BanksCards, digital banking, merchant services and payment strategy.
Telecom operatorsMobile money, wallets and financial-services diversification.
Fintechs & PSPsProduct strategy, licensing, partnerships and scale-up.
Central banks & infrastructure operatorsInstant payment networks, switching and national payment strategy.
Government entitiesDigital public services and electronic revenue collection.
Development partnersFinancial inclusion, agritech and digital public infrastructure.
InvestorsCommercial due diligence and market assessments in payments.
Corporates & merchantsPayroll, collections and business payment platforms.
Our founders
The experience behind our advice.
Mercanera's founding partners bring together careers spent building and running payment and digital financial services businesses.
BankingEgypt · Africa · Middle East
Enterprise Banking Architecture
Our founders have led country operations and regional businesses, working with banks on:
- Cards and payment gateways
- Digital channels
- Self-service and branch automation
- Settlement and reconciliation
GovernmentDigital public infrastructure
Sovereign Financial Rails
They have contributed to national payment infrastructure and led inclusion programmes, including:
- Government payment gateways
- Collections and disbursements
- E-payment platforms for tax, customs, tourism, transport and B2B e-commerce
- Agritech and financial-inclusion programmes with development partners: farmer lending, savings-group digitisation and smart extension services
TelecomNational scale
Mobile Financial Systems
They have led mobile financial services businesses covering:
- Mobile wallets and P2P payments
- Digital cards
- Merchant and QR acceptance
- Cross-border remittances
- Risk and compliance
- Payroll and SME platforms
Together, the partners combine strategy, commercial, technology and regulatory experience, supported by a network of specialists across the GCC, Africa and Egypt.
StrategyCommercialTechnologyRegulatory
Perspectives
How we think about the market.
Our views on the questions banks, telecom operators, fintechs and regulators are working through today.
Digital first means redesigning the business, not adding an app
Many institutions digitise old processes. Digital-first leaders rebuild products, operations and economics around the customer's phone.
Start with the customer's phone
A digital-first model begins with remote onboarding, instant accounts and cards issued to the phone in minutes. Everyday needs such as transfers, bill payments, card controls and disputes become self-service. Branches, agents and call centres then focus on complex or high-value moments rather than routine ones.
Change the operating model, not just the technology
Credit policies, KYC rules, product approvals and marketing all need to work at digital speed. The organisation needs product teams that own customer journeys end to end. Legacy cores can stay in place for a while, provided a modern integration layer sits in front of them.
Turn data into advantage
The payoff is a lower cost to serve, faster product launches and rich data on what customers actually do. That data powers better pricing, cross-selling and risk decisions, and this is where digital-first institutions pull ahead.
Where AI creates real value in payments and banking
The strongest gains come from focused use cases with clear data and accountable owners, not broad experiments.
Proven today: fraud, AML and credit
Fraud detection and AML transaction monitoring are the most proven areas. Machine-learning models catch more suspicious activity while cutting the false positives that overwhelm compliance teams. Credit scoring for thin-file customers and small merchants, using wallet, payment and alternative data, is close behind and opens lending to people traditional models miss.
Emerging fast: generative AI
Generative AI is now changing customer service, dispute handling, merchant onboarding and internal knowledge work, often cutting handling times sharply. It also helps product and risk teams analyse documents, regulations and customer feedback at scale.
What success depends on
Clean, well-governed transaction data. Model governance that satisfies regulators. Clear human oversight for decisions that affect customers. And teams that can put models into daily operations. We help clients choose the right use cases, build the business case, select partners and set up the controls.
Why acceptance alone is no longer a business
Acquiring margins keep falling. The providers that win will own more of the merchant's day.
The margin squeeze
Merchant discount rates are under pressure from regulation, low-cost instant payments and new entrants. A provider that only processes card or QR transactions is easy to replace, and it earns less every year.
From transaction to relationship
Providers that add business accounts, fast settlements, reconciliation, payroll, invoicing, working capital and business tools turn a low-margin transaction into a lasting relationship. Merchants stay because the platform runs part of their business, not only their payments.
New revenue, richer data
Revenue then comes from subscriptions, float, lending and value-added services as well as transaction fees. The transaction data the platform collects becomes the foundation for merchant credit, often the most valuable service a small business can receive.
Design for interoperability from day one
An instant payment network succeeds when banks, wallets and fintechs can all join on fair terms and customers can pay anyone.
Governance before technology
Governance, pricing and participation rules matter as much as the technology. Networks that give licensed wallets and payment providers direct or sponsored access, and keep pricing low for everyday payments, reach mass usage far faster than bank-only schemes.
Standards and overlay services
Adopting ISO 20022 from the start, with a shared alias directory so people can pay a phone number instead of an account number, keeps data rich and integration simple. Overlay services such as QR merchant payments, request-to-pay and bill payments turn a transfer rail into a daily habit.
Plan cross-border early
Planning cross-border links early, whether bilateral or through regional platforms, avoids costly redesign later. It also opens remittance corridors that matter to migrant workers and their families.
Growing card portfolios in under-penetrated markets
Issuing at scale needs more than new card products. Customers need reasons to use them every week.
Issue where usage starts
Banks grow active cards by linking issuing to salary accounts, payroll programmes and digital onboarding, and by issuing instant virtual cards that work in wallets and online the same day. Tokenisation makes those cards safe to use on phones and in e-commerce, which drives early usage.
Grow acceptance alongside issuing
Partnerships with acquirers, SoftPOS and QR programmes and merchant incentives build spending options where customers actually shop, especially outside the major cities.
Measure what matters
Activation and usage, rather than cards issued, should drive targets, incentives and reporting. A smaller base of active, profitable cards is worth far more than a large base of dormant ones, and it builds the data a bank needs for credit and cross-selling.
Where we work
Working across the GCC, Africa and Egypt.
From our base in Dubai, we support clients in three regions with distinct payment landscapes.
Dubai baseGCCInstant payments, digital banking and remittance corridors in maturing payment markets, served from our Dubai base.
Growth marketsSub-Saharan & East AfricaCard, mobile money and inclusion programmes in fast-growing, cash-heavy markets.
Established marketsEgypt & North AfricaDeep knowledge of the region's banks, wallets, regulators and payment rails.
Contact
Let's talk about what you're building.
Tell us about your project: an early idea, a business case to test or a platform ready to launch.
We'll come back with a view on how we can help.
Emailinfo@mercanera.com
CompanyMercanera F.Z.E
BaseDubai, United Arab Emirates
CoverageGCC · Africa · Middle East