BoxCommerce and Mastercard introduce prepaid card solution to speed SME access to revenue

BoxCommerce is an e-commerce platform designed to empower small and medium-sized businesses in emerging markets. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for building online stores, managing inventory, processing payments, and handling logistics. 

BoxCommerce, an e-commerce platform focused on helping local businesses sell online, has partnered with Mastercard to roll out a prepaid card programme designed to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) faster and more direct access to their earnings.

Founded in 2019, BoxCommerce provides merchants in emerging markets with tools to create and manage online stores, oversee inventory, process payments, and coordinate logistics. The platform enables sales through websites, social channels, and online marketplaces, supporting businesses in reaching customers across multiple digital touchpoints.

Originally launched in South Africa, BoxCommerce has expanded its presence to Kenya, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates, reflecting growing demand for digital commerce solutions among SMEs in these regions.

Under the new partnership, BoxCommerce merchants can access a prepaid card, available in both virtual and physical formats, that is integrated directly into the platform’s merchant dashboard. The solution allows entrepreneurs to receive payouts in real time, track cash flow more closely, and use their funds immediately for business needs such as purchasing stock or covering operational costs, without depending on traditional banking processes.

The initiative extends BoxCommerce’s role beyond online sales infrastructure by connecting commerce with digital financial services, offering SMEs a more streamlined way to move from making a sale to using their revenue.

“Our focus is on equipping entrepreneurs with practical tools to manage and grow their businesses,” said Craig McLeod, CEO of BoxCommerce. “By working with Mastercard, we’re enabling merchants to access their funds more quickly and put them back into their operations, which supports more efficient growth.”

Mete Guney, executive vice president for market development in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Mastercard, highlighted the importance of small businesses to local economies.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises play a central role in their communities,” he said. “Through partnerships like this, we aim to provide platforms and technologies that help entrepreneurs adopt digital solutions, reach new opportunities, and contribute to broader economic inclusion across Africa.”