Deezer has just signed a hugely significant strategic partnership covering Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.
Last year, Elie Habib, co-founder of Deezer’s biggest rival in the region Anghami – which could soon be under new ownership (or co-ownership) – told MBW that its telco partnerships are so important “because credit card penetration is very low” across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Deezer, which launched in MENA in October 2018, has encountered the same hurdle.
According to Tarek Mounir (pictured), CEO of Deezer MENAT (see below), “one of the main challenges we have to figure out in the region is how to deal with low levels of credit card penetration”.
Last month saw Deezer sign its first telco deal in MENA with Saudi Arabia’s largest telecommunications provider, Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and the France born-company has now made another major move to allow users to subscribe to its service without the use of debit or credit cards.
Deezer has signed a deal with Dubai-based mobile technology company Mondia, which will see the rollout of direct carrier billing (DCB) services across Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE.
Mondia’s payment division Mondia Pay is described as a “cross-platform e-commerce payment solution for your online business to accept payments from telecom operators and financial institutions.”
Mondia connects to over 50 operators, across 33 countries, reaching over 1bn potential customers.
The company says that it processes over 13bn transactions per annum, and claims to be growing at an average of 13% per month.
The partnership will see Mondia Pay connect Deezer to mobile operator subscribers, and will facilitate the collection of payments through its payment platform
“The partnership with Mondia Pay lets us offer music fans an easy, secure and safe payment solution.”
Tarek Mounir, Deezer
“One of the main challenges we have to figure out in the region is how to deal with low levels of credit card penetration,” said Tarek Mounir, CEO of Deezer MENAT.
“The partnership with Mondia Pay lets us offer music fans an easy, secure and safe payment solution.
“In the end, it’s about trust. When music fans trust that their payments and money are safe, they can focus on enjoying the music they love, which is what we want.”
“This partnership is evident of Mondia Pay’s reach to be able to fulfil payment solutions and enable real digital experiences with global brands such as Deezer.”
Simon Rahmann, Mondia Pay
Simon Rahmann, CEO Mondia Pay, added: “This partnership is evident of Mondia Pay’s reach to be able to fulfil payment solutions and enable real digital experiences with global brands such as Deezer.
“This next generation platform provides a highly scalable, and secure payment gateway that both customers and service providers can trust. The ease of integration for service providers such as Deezer, positions Mondia Pay as an obvious partner of choice.”
Pictured [Left to Right]: Tarek Mounir (CEO Deezer MENAT) & Simon Rahmann (CEO Mondia Pay)Music Business Worldwide
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