MasterCard has said cited the recently-launched electronic ID cards to be issued 13 million Nigerians as the biggest financial inclusion effort in Africa.

The recent launch of the MasterCard-branded identity cards with electronic payments functionality to 13 million Nigerians is “the largest rollout of a biometric-based verification card with an electronic payment solution in the country and the broadest financial inclusion programme in Africa”, the payment company said following a fresh deal in Mexico.

The Nigerian ID card programme, managed by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), was recently launched by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Apart from the Nigerian deal, MasterCard said it has programmes designed to bring financial access to over 350 million people around the world.

In Mexico, MasterCard and BANSEFI, the social bank of Mexico, announced a partnership to foster financial inclusion in the country through the disbursement of social benefits using electronic payments.

The BANSEFI MAS MasterCard-branded card is part of the recently launched social support programme developed by the Mexican Government.

Through this partnership, over 6.5 million beneficiaries will have access to electronic payment methods, providing them with greater security, control and convenience to their routine, according to MasterCard.

Most of the Mexicans enrolled in this social disbursement programme are women who will, for the first time, be able to deposit funds, receive social benefits, save, or engage in many other financial transactions that are facilitated by electronic payments, the card company said.

“By supporting governments around the world with electronic payment programs we are helping to save money and improve efficiencies, but more importantly, together, we are opening up a world of inclusion for those who have previously not had access to traditional financial services,” says Antonio Junco, President of MasterCard México and Central America.