Startup Venture CapitalMay 1st, 2025, 2:11pm UTC
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Moroccan retail tech startup Chari has signed a seven-year strategic partnership with Visa, a leading global payments company, to accelerate financial inclusion and digital innovation. The collaboration aims to integrate more merchants into the formal financial system by bringing more merchants into more than 20,000 companies in Morocco and expanding access to digital payment solutions that have expanded Cloire d'ivoire d'ivoire.
Moroccan retail tech startup Chari has signed a seven-year strategic partnership with global payments giant Visa to accelerate financial inclusion and digital innovation across the Moroccan market. The collaboration aims to integrate more merchants into the formal financial system by increasing access to digital payment solutions.
Founded in 2020, Chari allows small convenience stores to order stock and receive delivery via the app. The startup has expanded to Tunisia and Ivory Coast, with over 20,000 companies in Morocco. A graduate of AY Combinator, Chari is one of North Africa's most prominent retail technology ventures.
Through the partnership, Chari will leverage Visa's payment infrastructure to digitalize merchant transactions, expand financial access and introduce new services. Visas will gain deeper market penetration into Morocco's rapidly evolving fintech ecosystem.
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Key takeout
The partnership between Visa and Chari reflects a growing strategy of working with agile local players to penetrate underserved markets across French-speaking Africa. Morocco's informal retail sector, which has long been dominated by cash trading, represents a considerable opportunity for digitalization. Chari's Hybrid Model – Combining logistics, payments and credit tools, visas offer visas in a direct channel to reach large, small merchants. With over 600,000 convenience stores across North Africa, digitalizing these businesses will help you unlock great value in your transaction volume and customer data. For Chari, Visa Partnership will enhance the positioning of fintechs and complement previous efforts to provide financial products, including working capital loans. The collaboration also paves the way for co-innovation in merchant services, including contactless payments and loyalty programs. As competition in North Africa's digital economy grows intensifying, such strategic alliances are key to promoting financial inclusion while opening new revenue channels in both global payment networks and local platforms.
