Partnership showcased during Agriculture Summit Africa 2025
Mastercard and Sterling Bank are committed to advancing Africa’s agricultural transformation through digital innovation, data-driven solutions, and inclusive financial technology. The collaboration was highlighted during Mastercard’s engagement at the 2025 edition of Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA), held in Abuja.
Across Africa and particularly in Nigeria, digital innovation is beginning to close long-standing productivity gaps by connecting smallholder farmers to the formal economy. During the summit, Mastercard executives focused on how digital transformation can drive agricultural resilience and opportunity. The most transformative approaches are those that digitize the farmer’s digital profile, transactions, and access to services in a trusted and interoperable way. By providing digital tools to banks and fintechs that make it possible for smallholder farmers to reliably reach offtakers and seamlessly connect to payment services, Mastercard is enabling secure, efficient transactions even in remote locations.
Mastercard’s Community Pass helps smallholder farmers and agricultural micro merchants in remote and low-income communities digitally access markets, payments, and other agriculture and financial services to grow their businesses. The smallholder farmer can be connected to providers that offer quality seed, fertilizer, equipment and other agricultural products, as well as buyers, creating a transparent digital commercial network that can benefit everyone in it. Mastercard believes that being part of a payments network in a rural area isn’t just about convenience – it’s a gateway to opportunity, resilience, and dignity.
In alignment with this vision, Sterling Bank, also reaffirmed its commitment to leveraging technology to empower farmers and agribusinesses. Together, Mastercard and Sterling are working to empower every player in the agricultural chain.
Mastercard’s participation at ASA 2025 aligns with its ongoing efforts to accelerate digital and financial inclusion across Africa, working with financial institutions to provide farmers and agripreneurs with tools that enable growth, resilience, and sustainability.
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
About Sterling Bank
Sterling Bank Limited is a full-service national commercial bank in Nigeria and a member of Sterling Financial Holdings Group. With a heritage of more than 60 years, the bank has evolved from Nigeria’s pre-eminent investment banking institution to a trusted provider of retail, commercial, and corporate banking services.
Sterling is a forward-thinking financial institution committed to transforming lives through innovative solutions, exceptional service, unwavering integrity, and a steadfast focus on its HEART strategy, which centers on Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation. As pioneers in digital banking and financial inclusion, Sterling continues to lead by example, showing how purpose-driven leadership can deliver transformative outcomes for individuals, businesses, and society at large.
Guided by a culture of innovation and a passion for excellence, Sterling Bank remains dedicated to redefining the banking experience for millions of customers across Nigeria.
