Visa, a global leader in digital payments, has recently launched its first data centre in South Africa. Johannesburg hosts the data centre in the country. The facility, launched on July 23, 2025, is part of the company's 1 billion rand ($57 million) investment in the country over the next three years.
The data center is built to serve as a hub for Visa's growth across Africa. It'll be used for processing digital payment transactions, supporting financial inclusion, and driving innovation across Africa.
In addition to that, the data centre is aimed to reducing reliance on overseas infrastructure, thereby boosting national financial sovereignty, and supporting the rapid expansion of Africa's digital payments economy, which is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2030—according to a 2025 Mastercard-commissioned report by Genesis Analytics.
The Visa's data centre will also enable the deployment of advanced technologies—such as generative AI-enabled payments—to meet growing demand. Other advantages include faster transaction speeds and boosting South Africa's position as a digital leader in Africa.
The data centre is part of VisaNet—Visa's global processing network—which processes over 100 billion transactions per year across 200 nations. It will process transactions locally, support innovations like digital wallets and e-commerce, and contribute to job creation and financial literacy programs.
In South Africa, contactless transactions now account for over 60% of face-to-face payments, according to Michael Berner, Visa's head of Southern and East Africa. In addition to that, Lineshree Moodley, country manager for Visa South Africa, said "When we look at South Africa, we really see it as a digital innovator and a digital leader on this continent. So having this data centre here can actually be a launch pad for solutions that we take across the continent."
