Visa has opened its first data centre in Africa, marking a major step in its plan to support the continent’s fast-growing digital payments space through a $57 million investment over the next three years.

The facility, located in Johannesburg, South Africa, is Visa’s first data centre on African soil and one of the few the company has built outside its main global locations in the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

The centre is aimed at strengthening transaction speeds, enhancing reliability, and expanding capacity across Africa.

South Africa was selected as the location due to its leadership in digital transactions, with the country accounting for more than 60 percent of contactless in-store payments on the continent.

“Visa continues to be very committed to the growth of the economy on the continent and building the data centre, which is frankly one of very few that are built outside of our core locations, which are the US, the UK and Singapore, is evidence of this commitment,” said Michael Berner, Visa’s head of Southern and East Africa, during the launch.

The new data centre will plug into Visa’s global payments network known as VisaNet, which supports over 100 billion transactions annually in more than 200 countries. With this addition, Visa expects to offer improved transaction settlement speeds and strengthen overall system dependability across the region.

Africa’s digital payment landscape is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030, driven by expanded internet access and increasing financial inclusion. Visa’s entry into the region with this infrastructure project is seen as a timely move to meet the demands of the evolving market.

“For us at Visa, this is more than infrastructure, it’s an investment in people, potential, and partnerships,” said Lineshree Moodley, Visa South Africa’s Country Manager. “By enabling communities to participate more fully in the digital economy, we’re helping build a more inclusive and connected future.”

While the data centre is based in Johannesburg, other cities such as Nairobi and Lagos are also emerging as vital digital finance hubs.

These centres continue to draw attention from global technology and payment firms, mirroring earlier trends such as Mastercard’s increased interest in Africa’s financial ecosystem.

With this development, Visa has not only expanded its global infrastructure but also reaffirmed its intention to be part of Africa’s digital future by supporting scalable solutions for the fintech industry across the continent.