By nqobile dludla
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Visa Inc launched its first data centre in Africa on Wednesday, taking advantage of the rapid growth of the emerging economy of digital payments, company executives said.
At launch, Visa's South African Director Michael Berner said the facility is part of a R1 billion ($57 million) investment in South Africa over the next three years.
“Visa remains extremely committed to growing the continent's economy and building data centers. This is frankly one of the few that has been built outside our core regions, the US, the UK and Singapore, and is evidence of this commitment,” Berner said.
The Johannesburg data center represents the significant expansion of Visanet, Visa's global processing network, which strengthens more than 100 billion transactions per year in 200 countries and regions.
According to a report commissioned by the 2025 MasterCard by Genesis Analytics, Africa's digital payments economy is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, supported by internet penetration and rapid advances in financial inclusion.
In South Africa, contactless transactions account for more than 60% of in-person payments, according to Berner.
“When I look at South Africa, I really think of it as a digital innovator and digital leader on this continent. So putting this data center here could actually be a launch pad for cross-continental solutions.”
Moodley told Reuters on the sidelines of the event that the five-year investment of R1 billion in 2022 was part of a billion dollar investment in Africa.
Communications Minister Solly Malatsi welcomed the data centre as a vote of trust in South Africa as an investment destination, adding that it “reduces dependence on overseas infrastructure and supports the country's financial sovereignty.”
($1 = R17.5638)
(Reporting by Mark Potter by nqobile dludlaediting)
