The ambitious strategy of Verve International for global expansion

A domestic scheme with global ambitions

In the world of digital payments, a few names stand out for their ability to bridge local markets with global reach. In Africa, Verve International is one of them. Since its inception in 2009, Verve has grown from a Nigerian domestic card scheme to a continental powerhouse, now serving over 95 million cardholders and dominating the Nigerian market with a 65% share.

Market dominance and expansion

Nigeria : The Powerhouse

Verve’s dominance in Nigeria is unmatched. With over 95 million cards issued, it holds the largest market share among both local and international card schemes. Its acceptance is universal across Nigeria and counts 360 scheme members, among which commercial banks, Fintechs, aggregators, PSPs, MFB/SACCOs OFI etc. Its influence extends to leading mobile money operators (MMOs) such as Opay, Moniepoint, Palmpay, and Carbon, all of which issue Verve cards

MFB – Micro Finance Banks (They are very big in Nigeria as they most times cater for the underbanked, so they are very finance inclusive and have lots of traction)
SACCOs – Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations
OFI – Other Financial Institutions

Beyond Nigeria : A Pan-African Footprint

Verve’s expansion strategy is ambitious and effective. It is the most issued domestic card scheme in Kenya and holds the largest market share in Gambia. Recently, Verve entered Sierra Leone, partnering with over six banks, and is rapidly gaining ground in Uganda. In 2025, Verve announced a landmark partnership with GIM-UEMOA (Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine), enabling acceptance across seven Francophone West African countries.

Innovation at the core

Diverse payment solutions

Verve offers innovative payment solutions across debit, prepaid, and credit cards, supporting physical, virtual, and cross-border transactions. Its cards are accepted by top global merchants, including Google Play, Netflix, Uber, Spotify amongst others, making it a truly global payment enabler.

Security and compliance

As a member of EMVCo and PCI DSS compliant, Verve partners with industry leaders to ensure the highest security standards. Its commitment to innovation is further demonstrated by its upcoming tokenization launch, which will include Token on File, HCE, and OEM Pays with global wallet providers.

SoftPOS: Revolutionizing Merchant Payments

Verve’s SoftPOS innovation is transforming merchant payments. Over 10 Payment Service Providers (PSPs) have integrated the Verve SoftPOS SDK, and Interswitch has deployed its own SoftPOS solution, allowing numbers of small and medium businesses to easily start accepting contactless payments

To certify a SoftPOS for Verve acceptance, providers must meet stringent requirements, including PCI MPoC certification, EMV L2 kernel approval, and undergo Verve L3 certification, which validated end-to-end transaction processing, host integration, and Verve specific rules.

Once approved, Verve issues an LOA, allowing the SoftPOS to be deployed in production with Verve card acceptance.

Verve International has partnered from the early step of this project with Alcinéo

Alcinéo provided a fully functional SoftPOS SDK with the appropriate EMV level 2 kernel to support Verve.

The fully functional and certified SDK help Alcinéo’s partners to build reliable and secure SoftPOS solutions meeting all regulatory constraints. They also benefit from the most extended range of contactless payment kernels, including all International brands and the most popular national payment networks.

Growth and future prospects

From 2021 to 2025, Verve’s transaction value soared from $5 billion to over $40 billion, and transaction volume grew from 500 million to over 3 billion. With a card base of over 95 million and a growing presence in over 10 African countries, Verve is actively seeking partnerships to open its vast network to the world.

A model for domestic payment schemes

Verve International’s journey continues to expand over the African continent and beyond, transforming from a domestic card network to a regional and global player. Its focus on innovation, security, and strategic partnerships positions Verve as a model for domestic payment schemes worldwide, proving that local solutions can achieve global impact.

For more information about Verve International, visit their official website : myverveworld.com

Contact us

For more info about Verve