Egypt Prepaid Card and Digital Wallet Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - Q1 2026 Update

Accelerate prepaid issuance through bank-fintech distribution models

• Egypt is seeing prepaid launched as part of fintech-led customer journeys rather than as a standalone bank product. Mastercard, Banque Misr, and Money Fellows announced a prepaid card linked to Money Fellows’ online money-circle model (ROSCA).
• PayMint and ADIB Egypt launched Meeza prepaid cards, with in-app monitoring and card management. Fintechs are using prepaid to extend acceptance into card-required journeys while keeping onboarding digital and within app ecosystems (savings circles, payments, SME tooling).
• Expect more bank-fintech-network partnerships where banks provide regulated issuance and fintechs own acquisition and engagement. Competition should intensify on activation and frequency (active funded cards) rather than issuance counts alone.

Expand the domestic-scheme (Meeza) prepaid as a default rail for local spending and government-related payments

• Meeza prepaid remains well-positioned for domestic payments, including government payments, purchases, and online transactions via bank programs and fintech distribution channels. ADIB Egypt Meeza prepaid product positioning highlights governmental payments and local usage.
• PayMint’s Meeza prepaid launch with ADIB Egypt reflects fintech-led distribution on a domestic scheme. Domestic rail prepaid supports local acceptance priorities and aligns with the digitisation of payments in public and domestic commerce.
• Meeza-linked prepaid is likely to expand further through co-brands and segmented programs (e.g., youth/family, education-linked IDs), increasing program variety but also imposing greater oversight and operational requirements on issuers and processors.

Push prepaid usage into “platform ecosystems” as large payment players disclose scaling issuance

• Large payment platforms are reporting material growth in prepaid issuance tied to their ecosystems. Fawry disclosed that it had issued 2.2 million prepaid cards as of September 2025 (per its earnings presentation/EGX bulletin).
• Platforms with large merchant and consumer footprints can push prepaid cards as a tool for spend, funding, and ecosystem retention, particularly where cards remain operationally required. Expect higher competitive intensity around distribution reach (apps, merchants, employers) and around servicing capability (customer support, controls, dispute handling) as issuance scales.

Make prepaid “wallet-ready” as tokenisation and mobile contactless coverage expand

• Prepaid programs face pressure to be tokenisation-ready as mobile contactless payments become more widely available across major ecosystem players. Fawry and Banque Misr announced Apple Pay availability for Fawry customers (Oct 2025), signalling a broader consumer pull toward device-based payments that typically rely on tokenised cards.
• Consumer payment behaviour is shifting toward tap-to-pay and in-app checkout, and merchants increasingly support contactless, raising expectations that cards (including prepaid) can be used via wallets.
• Wallet provisioning and tokenisation support will become a table-stakes capability for scaled prepaid programs; issuers and processors that cannot provision into major wallets risk lower usage frequency in urban spend.

Tighten operating requirements for payments ecosystem participants (regulatory driver affecting prepaid supply chains)

• CBE issued new licensing and registration rules for PSOs and PSPs (June 2025), changing compliance expectations for operators providing payment services that commonly sit around prepaid issuance and acceptance chains.
• Scale-up of digital payments increases systemic and consumer risks, prompting regulators to adopt clearer licensing requirements and a more robust supervisory structure.
• Expect market advantage to accrue to licensed, audit-ready operators (processors, program managers, payment service providers) and to partnership models that allow fintechs to distribute while regulated entities handle regulated functions.

Competitive Landscape of the Egyptian Prepaid Card Market

• Egypt’s prepaid market is increasingly competitive as distribution power shifts toward fintech apps and large payment platforms, while banks remain essential for issuance and compliance. Recent announcements show multiple partnership-led launches, while public disclosures indicate issuance scaling within platform ecosystems.
• Regulatory moves in the last 12 months, most notably the CBE’s June 2025 PSO/PSP licensing and registration rules, are also shaping the landscape by elevating compliance and operating maturity as a competitive factor for processors and payment service providers supporting prepaid.

Current Market Dynamics

• Platform-linked prepaid issuance is scaling, with Fawry reporting 2.2 million prepaid cards issued as of September 2025. New prepaid launches are tied to specific distribution engines (fintech apps) rather than generic “mass prepaid” offerings.

Key Players and Market Presence

• Banks remain core issuers (e.g., Banque Misr via the Money Fellows prepaid partnership; ADIB Egypt via Meeza prepaid). Fintechs and payment platforms influence customer acquisition and engagement (e.g., Money Fellows, PayMint, Fawry).

Recent Launches and Partnerships

• Mastercard, Banque Misr, and Money Fellows launched/announced a prepaid card linked to Money Fellows’ savings-circle journey (Jan 2025). PayMint and ADIB Egypt launched Meeza prepaid cards with app-based card management (Jan 2025). Fawry and Banque Misr announced Apple Pay availability for Fawry customers (Oct 2025), increasing pressure for wallet provisioning/tokenisation support for card programs.

Anticipated Market Evolution

• Competitive intensity is likely to increase around distribution reach (apps/merchants/employers) and wallet readiness (tokenisation/provisioning), because device-based payments raise baseline expectations for card usability. Expect more bank-fintech partnerships as licensing and compliance demands incentivise fintechs to scale via regulated issuers and licensed payment service providers.

Regulatory Changes

• CBE PSO/PSP licensing & registration rules (June 2025): formalises criteria and procedures for licensing/registration of payment system operators and payment service providers, affecting participants that enable prepaid issuance, processing, and acceptance flows.

Overview of Prepaid Cards and Digital Wallet Market

Prepaid Card Market Analysis

• Metrics Assessed: The study examines the prepaid card market through various lenses, including transaction value, transaction volume, average transaction value, load value, and the total number of cards in circulation.
• Card Types: A distinction is made between open-loop and closed-loop prepaid cards, providing insights into their respective market shares and growth trajectories.
• Usage Categories: The report segments the prepaid card market into various categories such as general-purpose cards, business and administrative expense cards, travel forex cards, and meal cards.
• Business Segmentation: Further segmentation is provided based on business size and type, including small-scale businesses, mid-tier businesses, enterprise-level businesses, government entities, and retail consumers.
• Sector-Specific Applications: The analysis extends to specific sectors utilizing prepaid cards, including transit and toll payments, healthcare and wellness services, social security and other government benefit programs, fuel purchases, utilities, and more.

Digital Wallet Market Insights

• Key Segments: The digital wallet market is dissected across five primary spending categories: retail shopping, travel, entertainment and gaming, dining establishments, and recharge and bill payments.
• Performance Metrics: For each segment, the report evaluates transaction value, transaction volume, and average transaction value, offering a granular view of consumer spending behaviors.
• Retail Spend Breakdown: An in-depth analysis is provided for retail spending via digital wallets, covering categories such as food and grocery, health and beauty products, apparel and footwear, books, music and video, consumer electronics, pharmacy and wellness, gas stations, restaurants and bars, toys, kids and baby products, services, and other miscellaneous categories.

Virtual Prepaid Card Market Segmentation

• Categories Analyzed: The virtual prepaid card market is segmented into key categories, including general-purpose cards, gift cards, entertainment and gaming cards, teen and campus cards, business and administrative expense cards, payroll cards, meal cards, travel forex cards, transit and toll cards, social security and other government benefit program cards, fuel cards, utilities, and other miscellaneous categories.
• Performance Evaluation: For each category, the report assesses transaction value, providing insights into the adoption and usage patterns of virtual prepaid cards across different consumer segments.

Consumer Usage Trends

The report delves into consumer behavior concerning prepaid cards, segmented by:

• Age Groups: Identifying usage patterns across different age demographics.
• Income Levels: Analyzing how income brackets influence prepaid card adoption and usage.
• Gender: Examining differences in usage trends between genders.

Report Scope

Egypt Prepaid Payment Instrument Market Size and Forecast

• Transaction Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Volume Trend Analysis
• Average Value per Transaction
• Market Share Analysis by Prepaid Card vs. Digital Wallet

Egypt Digital Wallet Market Size and Forecast

• Transaction Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Volume Trend Analysis
• Average Value per Transaction
• Market Share Analysis by Key Segments

Egypt Digital Wallet Market Size and Forecast by Key Segments

• Retail Shopping (Value, Volume, Avg. Value)
• Travel (Value, Volume, Avg. Value)
• Restaurant (Value, Volume, Avg. Value)
• Entertainment and Gaming (Value, Volume, Avg. Value)
• Recharge and Bill Payment (Value, Volume, Avg. Value)

Egypt Digital Wallet Retail Spend Dynamics

• Food and Grocery - Transaction Value
• Health and Beauty Products - Transaction Value
• Apparel and Foot Wear - Transaction Value
• Books, Music and Video - Transaction Value
• Consumer Electronics - Transaction Value
• Pharmacy and Wellness - Transaction Value
• Gas Stations - Transaction Value
• Restaurants & Bars - Transaction Value
• Toys, Kids, and Baby Products - Transaction Value
• Services - Transaction Value
• Others - Transaction Value

Egypt Prepaid Card Industry Market Attractiveness

• Load Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Volume Trend Analysis
• Average Value per Transaction
• Number of Cards
• Market Share Analysis by Functional Attributes - Open Loop vs. Closed Loop
• Market Share Analysis by Prepaid Card Categories

Egypt Open Loop Prepaid Card Future Growth Dynamics

• Transaction Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Volume Trend Analysis
• Average Value per Transaction
• Number of Cards

Egypt Closed Loop Prepaid Card Future Growth Dynamics

• Transaction Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Volume Trend Analysis
• Average Value per Transaction
• Number of Cards

Egypt Prepaid Card Consumer Usage Trends

• By Age Group
• By Income Group
• By Gender

Egypt Prepaid Card Retail Spend Dynamics

• Food and Grocery - Transaction Value
• Health and Beauty Products - Transaction Value
• Apparel and Foot Wear - Transaction Value
• Books, Music and Video - Transaction Value
• Consumer Electronics - Transaction Value
• Pharmacy and Wellness - Transaction Value
• Gas Stations - Transaction Value
• Restaurants & Bars - Transaction Value
• Toys, Kids, and Baby Products - Transaction Value
• Services - Transaction Value
• Others - Transaction Value

Egypt General Purpose Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Egypt Gift Card Market Size and Forecast

Gift Card Market Size and Forecast by Functional Attribute

• By Open Loop Gift Card
• By Closed Loop Gift Card

Gift Card Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Segments

• By Retail Consumer Segment
• By Corporate Consumer Segment

Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Retail Categories

• Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Gifting Occasion
• Gift Card Market Share Analysis by Purchase Location

Egypt Entertainment and Gaming Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Egypt Teen and Campus Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Teen and Campus Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Functional Attribute

• By Open Loop Teen and Campus Prepaid Card
• By Closed Loop Teen and Campus Prepaid Card

Egypt Business and Administrative Expense Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Business and Administrative Expense Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Segments

• By Small Scale Business Segment
• By Mid-Tier Business Segment
• By Enterprise Business Segment
• By Government Segment

Egypt Payroll Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Payroll Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Segments

• By Small Scale Business Segment
• By Mid-Tier Business Segment
• By Enterprise Business Segment
• By Government Segment

Egypt Meal Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Meal Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Segments

• By Small Scale Business Segment
• By Mid-Tier Business Segment
• By Enterprise Business Segment
• By Government Segment

Egypt Travel Forex Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Travel Forex Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Segments

• By Retail
• By Small Scale Business Segment
• By Mid-Tier Business Segment
• By Enterprise Business Segment
• By Government Segment

Egypt Transit and Tolls Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Egypt Social Security and Other Government Benefit Programs Prepaid Card Market Size and Forecast

Egypt Fuel Prepaid Cards Market Size and Forecast

Egypt Utilities, and Other Prepaid Cards Market Size and Forecast

Egypt Virtual Prepaid Card Industry Market Attractiveness

• Transaction Value Trend Analysis
• Transaction Volume Trend Analysis
• Average Value per Transaction
• Market Share Analysis by Key Virtual Prepaid Card Categories

Egypt Virtual Prepaid Card Market Size by Key Categories

• General Purpose Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Gift Card - Transaction Value
• Entertainment and Gaming Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Teen and Campus Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Business and Administrative Expense Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Payroll Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Meal Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Travel Forex Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Transit and Tolls Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Social Security and Other Government Benefit Programs Prepaid Card - Transaction Value
• Fuel Prepaid Cards - Transaction Value
• Utilities, and Other Prepaid Cards - Transaction Value

Reasons to Buy

• In-depth understanding of Egypt’s prepaid card and digital wallet market dynamics: Gain a structured view of market opportunity, operating models, and competitive dynamics across 80+ segments and sub-segments, spanning prepaid cards (open-loop and closed-loop), digital wallets, wallet-linked prepaid credentials, and virtual prepaid cards. Analysis focuses on how stored value is issued, funded, used, and regulated in Egypt’s payments ecosystem.
• Understand Egypt’s market opportunities and key trends with forward-looking forecasts (2021-2030): Assess historical performance and future outlook for prepaid cards and digital wallets using core KPIs such as transaction value, transaction volume, active users, and average transaction value, with clear separation between consumer and commercial use cases and wallet-based versus card-based spend.
• Develop Egypt specific prepaid and digital wallet strategies: Identify high-growth segments and structurally resilient use cases to support market-entry, expansion, or optimisation strategies. Evaluate Egypt-specific drivers, constraints, and risks, including regulation, macroeconomic conditions, and adoption patterns, to inform realistic, market-aligned strategic decisions.
• Detailed analysis of Egypt’s market share by key players across prepaid and wallet categories: Understand competitive positioning through issuer and platform-level market share analysis across major prepaid card types, digital wallets, and virtual prepaid instruments. Coverage highlights how banks, fintechs, and wallet providers compete across funding sources, acceptance reach, and use case depth.
• Insights into Egypt’s consumer attitudes and payment behaviour: Analyse how consumers use prepaid cards, virtual prepaid cards, and digital wallets for everyday spend, e-commerce, subscriptions, and controlled payments. Understand behavioural shifts, frequency of use, and value per transaction to support ROI optimisation, product design, and targeted go-to-market strategies.