Fintech company Ottu has joined Mastercard in a strategic agreement aimed at expanding digital commerce across the GCC.
As part of this collaboration, Mastercard and Ottu plan to scale access to local and global payment methods across Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman through Mastercard Merchant Cloud.
Facilitating growth across the GCC
The agreement combines Mastercard Merchant Cloud with Ottu’s regional expertise to optimise and expand local payment methods for businesses. Ottu is set to leverage Mastercard Merchant Cloud, a payments platform that offers a single connection to over 200 acquirers and acceptance at over 110 million locations globally.
The platform provides capabilities such as network tokenization, fraud detection, and authentication tools to increase the security of transactions. Additionally, it links businesses to a suite of commerce-enabling services.
Enterprises across Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman will get access to a variety of local and international payment methods through a single integration.
Talking about the move, Talal AlAwadhi, CEO of Ottu, emphasised that the partnership reflects a shared commitment to optimise digital payments in the region. Teaming up with Mastercard will allow Ottu to develop a simplified ecosystem where enterprises can expand their operations and capabilities.
Adding to this, Maria Parpou, Executive Vice President, Mastercard Merchant Cloud, said that bringing locally relevant payment methods represents a key priority for customers. Working with Ottu will deliver on this need, as it helps Mastercard in offering a simplified payment experience through a single integration.
Furthermore, Ottu’s Online Payments Management Solution (OPMS) focuses on augmenting and unifying online payment experiences for businesses across sectors. The collaboration will allow Mastercard and Ottu to create a more inclusive and scalable digital payments landscape across the GCC, serving the needs of businesses across the region.
Payments across the GCC
As of 2025, the GCC, which consists of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, has positioned itself among the most dynamic regions for payments advancements. The region has rapidly adopted digital payments, introduced government-led transformation programmes, and has a significant consumer readiness for new payment technologies.
When it comes to specific numbers, the most recent data shows that the total value of digital payments in the GCC is expected to reach USD 227 billion by 2025, scaling at a CAGR of approximately 10% through 2030.
