Visa has opened a new data centre in Johannesburg, the company’s first in Africa, as part of three-year R1-billion investment into South Africa.
The data centre, which is already operational, ensures that local transactions are processed securely, seamlessly and resiliently within South Africa’s’ borders.
It is the first data centre that Visa has set up outside its core locations of the US, UK and Singapore, says Michael Berner, head of Southern and East Africa at Visa.
“This investment reflects our commitment to the long-term potential of South Africa and its economy,” he adds. “With the launch of this state-of-the-art data centre, we are building the digital foundations needed to drive inclusion, unlock innovation and power the broader vision of sustainable economic growth across the region.”
The new facility represents a significant expansion of its global processing network, VisaNet, which powers more than 100-billion transactions annually across 200 countries and territories.
Visa’s local infrastructure will play vital role in advancing South Africa’s dynamic digital economy by enabling the core technologies that power secure, fast and reliable payments. It will support Visa’s partners in driving forward key industry innovations, including digital wallets, e-commerce, commercial transactions, and card-based person-to-person payments – while laying the groundwork for globally relevant solutions that align with the ambitions of the local financial sector.
“South Africa has made impressive strides in digital payments, with contactless transactions now accounting for over 60% of face-to-face payments,” says Berner. “This data centre is a critical enabler of that momentum, further strengthening the country’s real-time commerce infrastructure.”
Berner adds that the data centre is a significant portion of the R1-billion that Visa has pledged to developing the South African market over the next three years. It will also be used to create new jobs, support entrepreneurs and SMEs, support women leaders, and support broader communities.
“We see Africa as our growth engine, and are very committed to growing the African economy,” he explains.
Visa, which has operated in South Africa for over 30 years, employs more than 170 people at its Johannesburg headquarters. It supports a robust payment ecosystem supporting millions of consumers and local businesses that include large retailers, spaza shops, transport hubs and online marketplaces.
The company also aims to to accelerate digital transformation across the region through flagship initiatives like She’s Next, the Visa Fintech Accelerator, and financial literacy partnerships.
“Visa is proud to support South Africa’s national vision for digital inclusion and economic resilience,” said Lineshree Moodley, country manager for Visa South Africa. “As we continue to grow our infrastructure and expand our programmes locally, we remain committed to working alongside government and industry partners to deliver initiatives that directly support the country’s priorities – advancing financial inclusion, enhancing cybersecurity, and enabling job creation and innovation.”
She adds that the new data centre signals Visa’s belief in the growth and potential of the South African market, preparing for a future that includes AI-drive and crypto-enabled platforms.
Solly Malatsi, minister of communications and digital technologies, says the investment demonstrates growing confidence in South Africa as an investment destination, and as a data gateway into Africa.
“It also comes at a time with we aim to develop our economy through digital technologies,” he adds.