Mastercard and Tamatem bring in-app gaming payments to more than 13 markets across the Middle East and Africa

Mastercard and Tamatem have teamed up to power payments for Tamatem Plus, the publisher’s white-label digital commerce platform and marketplace, across more than 13 markets in the Middle East and Africa, starting with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. For PSPs and gaming merchants, the useful bit is straightforward: the checkout stack will include cards, local alternative payment methods, and telco wallet balances, with authentication and fraud protection built in.

1. Under the collaboration, Mastercard Gateway, available via Mastercard Merchant Cloud, will become the payment gateway behind Tamatem Plus. Mastercard describes the platform as a global payment system for secure transaction processing across channels, including in-store, websites, and mobile apps.
2. The rollout covers more than 13 markets across the Middle East and Africa, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE first in line. That matters because Tamatem is not just bolting payments onto a game; it is using a direct-to-consumer channel that gives game publishers more control over brand, purchasing, and the customer relationship.
3. Tamatem is one of MENA’s leading mobile games publishers and is backed by Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and supported by Abu Dhabi Gaming (ADG). Mastercard said the partnership is intended to digitize in-game payments and improve engagement, while Tamatem said the payment layer is the next step in a mission that started in 2013.
4. The local market context is not small. According to a recent report, the value of the MENA gaming market reached around $7.1 billion in 2025, rising by 7.5% year on year. In other words, this is exactly the kind of vertical where payment conversion, fraud controls, and local payment method coverage move real money.
5. Through Mastercard Merchant Cloud, businesses get access to modular payment services including agentic commerce, advanced fraud protection, authentication, tokenization, data, and partner services. For high-risk operators, that is the practical angle: one integration that can support local web stores and in-game checkout experiences without stripping out the controls that acquirers and PSPs usually insist on.

Mete Güney, executive vice president, Market Development, EEMEA, Mastercard, said gaming is one of the fastest-growing passions in the region and that the partnership is meant to deliver “unprecedented convenience” to players. Tamaram’s own pitch is more operational than lyrical: localized stores, in-game checkout, and payment options that match how users in the region actually pay.