Visa and SantimPay have announced a five-year agreement to deploy 100,000 point-of-sale (POS) machines across Ethiopia, in a move designed to broaden access to digital payments for small and medium-sized enterprises. The deal was signed on Thursday at Visa’s Connect event at the Sheraton Hotel.

The initiative plans to deploy 20,000 SantimPay terminals each year, fully funded by Visa, with each device priced at about $100. With only around 7,500 POS machines currently in operation across the country, the programme seeks to address a substantial shortfall.

Tinsae Desalegn, chief executive of SantimPay, said affordability has been a major hurdle for merchants. “This agreement enables SMEs and small businesses to adopt POS systems, expand their customer base, and participate more fully in the digital economy,” he said.

Yared Endale, Visa’s country manager for Ethiopia and host Africa, added that POS devices are critical for merchants, as most of the country’s digital transactions remain person-to-person. “Merchants need reliable platforms to receive payments, and POS machines provide a key solution to that challenge,” he said.

He indicated that the partnership could expand to include other fintech companies, such as Arifpay, as the POS rollout progresses.