Mastercard has expanded its partnership with stc pay Bahrain to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as businesses show growing demand for digital payment tools.
Under the agreement, Mastercard will continue powering stc pay Bahrain’s digital wallet card portfolio, including a Mastercard Business prepaid card designed to help companies manage payments and expenses.
The companies will also explore advisory, processing and security services for SMEs, along with potential regional expansion. Mastercard will contribute to the wallet’s future product plans, according to the announcement.
Demand for these services remains strong in Bahrain. The Mastercard SME Confidence Index 2026 found that 96% of the country’s SMEs consider digital payments critical to growth, while 57% still use personal cards for business expenses. Wider acceptance of digital payments was identified as the top growth opportunity by 56% of respondents.
The partnership supports Mastercard’s goal of bringing 500 million people and small businesses into the digital economy by 2030.
Founded in 2023, stc pay Bahrain is a wholly owned subsidiary of stc Bahrain. Its business offering includes digital onboarding, Wage Protection System payroll, cash collections and cashback business cards.
Source: Fintech News UAE
