AFS

AFS is a payment processor founded in 1984 that provides acquiring and issuing processing, white-label acquiring, SoftPOS and open banking in the Gulf and North Africa. The company describes itself as a regional leader and states that it is regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain and owned by a consortium of 37 financial institutions.

Products - Acquiring and issuing processing; - White-label digital wallets, including BPay; - Open Banking Hub; - Fraud management; - SoftPOS.

Markets Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Egypt and Kuwait, and the wider MENA region.

Commercial model Enterprise contract.

Who it suits Banks and fintechs in the Middle East and North Africa that prefer to run cards and wallets on a regional processor with local regulation, rather than build their own processing stack. The white-label wallet and the open banking hub suit institutions launching branded digital services. Pricing, supported card schemes and service levels depend on the contract and country and should be requested from AFS.