Visa Report Highlights Surge in Digital Payment Adoption Among Egypt’s SMEs

Visa, a global leader in payments, announced the launch of a new report, ‘Value of Acceptance: Understanding the Digital Payment Landscape in Egypt,’ which reveals significant growth potential for digital payments, especially among small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

The report highlights substantial progress in Egypt’s digital payments ecosystem. Over half (53%) of merchants surveyed have implemented digital payments in the last two years, showing accelerated adoption trends. Additionally, 55% of cash-only merchants are interested in adopting the technology. This growing popularity is reinforced by positive experiences among businesses already accepting digital payments, over 80% are satisfied with the card acceptance process, more than three-fourths report a positive impact on revenue, and more than two-thirds report the same for footfall.

Furthermore, Egyptian SMEs are seeking value-added services and integrated solutions that go beyond basic transactions such as loyalty programs, enhanced security, and access to data-driven insights, which can help drive business growth, enhance customer experience, and boost operational efficiency.

For cash-only SMEs, there is a demand for simple, user-friendly digital solutions that maintain the ease of cash transactions, along with educational programs to address misconceptions and incentives and facilitate the transition to digital payments.

This positive momentum is expected to continue in Egypt, with over three-fourths of surveyed SMEs (77%) believing digital payment technologies will power business growth, and more than half (55%) of Egypt’s cash-only merchants reporting they intend to acquire POS systems.

Egypt’s thriving e-commerce market is also fueling investment in digital payment, with over half of surveyed merchants newly embracing online payments (59%) and accepting payments via social media (53%).

Overall, Egypt’s SMEs represent a positive future for digital payments as more businesses recognize their contribution to customer convenience, retention, and sales.