Mastercard and Banque du Liban have announced a new collaboration aimed at expanding digital payment acceptance across Lebanon, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises and women entrepreneurs.
The collaboration will support programmes designed to encourage businesses to adopt digital payments while strengthening financial inclusion and creating new opportunities for business growth across the country.
Mastercard said expanding digital payment acceptance can help small businesses operate more efficiently, strengthen their resilience and reach a wider customer base. For women-led businesses, greater access to digital payment tools can also support participation in the wider digital economy.
“At Mastercard, we believe that acceptance is the foundation of a thriving digital economy,” said Mohamed Assem, Country Manager for Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq at Mastercard. “Through this collaboration with Banque du Liban, we are supporting SMEs and women entrepreneurs access the tools, capabilities and resources they need to embrace digital payments, reach more customers and participate more fully in the digital economy.”
The partnership forms part of Mastercard’s wider work with public and private sector organisations to modernise payment ecosystems and support businesses as they move towards digital commerce.
For SMEs, digital payment acceptance can provide businesses with additional ways to receive payments while helping them connect with customers across different channels. Mastercard also highlights the potential for digital payments to support business resilience and open access to broader commercial opportunities.
The initiative will place particular emphasis on women-led businesses, reflecting a wider effort to improve financial inclusion and help women entrepreneurs participate more actively in the formal digital economy.
Security will also form part of the digital payments ecosystem supported by Mastercard. The company said its payment infrastructure is backed by cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and fraud prevention technologies designed to protect consumers, businesses and financial institutions from evolving digital threats.
The collaboration comes as digital payments continue to play a growing role in how small businesses operate and reach customers. For women entrepreneurs in Lebanon, improved access to digital payment infrastructure could provide additional opportunities to expand their businesses and participate in domestic and international commerce.
By bringing Mastercard and Banque du Liban together with other stakeholders across the payments ecosystem, the initiative aims to create a more accessible digital environment for Lebanon’s SMEs and women-led businesses.
