Airtel and TerraPay have jointly announced the seamless introduction of cross-border merchant payments within the United Arab Emirates, commencing on July 21, 2023.

Starting today, residents and visitors in any of the UAE’s seven emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah – will have the convenience of using Airtel Money to pay for their purchases at over 30,000 merchant locations.

Mr. Japhet Aritho, the Managing Director of Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited, expressed his enthusiasm for this timely partnership. He noted that many customers frequently travel across the UAE for various activities such as trading, shopping, and tourism. This innovative collaboration aims to enhance the customer value proposition for all Airtel users.

Willie Kanyeki, the Regional Director for East and Southern Africa at TerraPay, lauded the collaboration, emphasizing that such strategic partnerships not only boost economic development but also deliver accessible digital financial solutions to customers on a larger scale. He added that this partnership exemplifies their commitment to work with mobile financial services like AMCUL (Airtel Mobile Commerce Uganda Limited) and bring transformative financial solutions like cross-border merchant payments to the market.

Aritho further reiterated Airtel Money’s dedication to promoting inclusive growth by providing safe, convenient, and instant financial solutions to all its customers.

To access the cross-border merchant payments, customers can follow these simple steps:

Step 1: Visit an onboarded merchant in the UAE to purchase goods and/or services.
Step 2: The merchant initiates the transaction on the Point of Sale (PoS) terminal by entering the customer’s Airtel mobile number.
Step 3: The customer will receive a prompt to enter their pin and confirm the transaction.
Step 4: Once the transaction is completed, the customer will receive a confirmation SMS.