Visa is committed to supporting the digital transformation of payments in West Africa and enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive by connecting them digitally. It was within this framework that Visa organized "Visa Meet Banks and Fintech" in Dakar on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. This meeting with banks and fintech companies in Senegal brought together key players in the digital payments ecosystem in Senegal.

Objective: "To accelerate innovation and the development of digital payments in Senegal"

Visa Meet Banks and Fintech is organized as part of Visa's commitment to supporting the digital transformation of payments in West Africa. The event highlighted developments in the sector within the Senegalese market, which is experiencing rapid growth in financial innovation. The objective is to create a platform for exchange, reflection, and collaboration among the various stakeholders in the sector, with a view to accelerating innovation and the development of digital payments in Senegal.

This event provided Visa with an opportunity to showcase its latest innovations, payment solutions, and vision for the development of digital financial services. The discussions also highlighted the collaborations established with banks, fintechs, and other stakeholders to promote financial inclusion and the adoption of innovative payment solutions.

"The challenge is no longer simply to provide access to an account or a means of payment, but..."

In this context, the Vice President and General Manager for West and Central Africa at the VISA Group, Mr. Ismahill Diaby, addressed the opportunities and challenges. "The opportunities are there. The consumers are there. The technologies are there. The investments are there. And the real question is simple: are we capable of transforming this opportunity into growth for our institutions and our economies?" he noted.

He adds: "That is precisely the reason for our presence here today. We are living through a pivotal moment for payments in Africa, particularly in Senegal. And for a long time, all our discussions have been about financial inclusion. And today, we need to talk a lot about economic inclusion."

According to Mr. Diaby, the challenge is no longer just to provide access to an account or a means of payment, but to enable every citizen, every trader, every SME, every administration to fully participate in the digital economy.

In this regard, the Vice President and General Manager for West and Central Africa at the VISA Group maintains that Senegal currently possesses exceptional advantages. “A young and connected population, one of the most dynamic fintech ecosystems on the continent, banks that invest and innovate, and public authorities and regulators committed to modernizing the financial sector. Yet, despite this progress, a significant portion of transactions still occur in cash. And that is where our greatest collective opportunity lies. Our main competitor is not another bank. Our main competitor is not another fintech. Our main competitor remains cash,” explained Ismahill Diaby.

For him, every transaction that remains in cash is a digitization opportunity that we have not yet captured. "At Visa, we are convinced that the next phase of growth rests on three priorities: simplicity, acceptance, and adoption," he explained.

Senegal: a market with strong potential

In her market presentation, Ms. Sandra Gayibor, Visa's Country Director for Senegal, Mali, Cape Verde, Guinea, and Niger, focused on Visa's digital solutions to accelerate digital payments in Senegal. This involves developing partnerships, offering more innovative solutions, strengthening financial literacy, and, finally, prioritizing security at the heart of operations.

In closing, Ms. Sandra invited the participants to "build together a common ambition: to make Senegal a benchmark market for digital payments in West Africa.

A global leader in digital payments, present in more than 200 countries and territories

As a reminder, Visa is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government agencies in more than 200 countries and territories. Its mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payment network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive.