Deezer strikes DCB deal with Mondia for Egyptian market

The partnership will see the rollout of direct carrier billing (DCB) services in the three countries. This means that users will be able to subscribe to Deezer without the use of debit or credit cards ‒ a shift that is a significant advantage due to the low usage of traditional banking methods in the region.

“One of the major challenges we have to determine out in the area is how to deal with low levels of credit card penetration,” Deezer Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region CEO Tarek Mounir said.

“The partnership with Mondia Pay lets us provide music fans an easy, secure and safe payment solution. In the end, it’s about trust. When music followers believe that their payments and cash are safe, they can focus on listening to the music they love, which is what we want.”

Mondia Pay CEO Simon Rahmann said: “This subsequent era platform offers a fairly scalable and secure payment gateway that both clients and service providers can trust. The ease of integration for service providers such as Deezer positions Mondia Pay as an apparent partner of choice.”

In its drive to enter the region, Deezer also expanded its business operations through a partnership with the UAE-owned Emirates airline last year, giving passengers access to in-flight playlists.

This latest move could see a further growth in Deezer’s market share with Mondia currently connecting over 50 operators, across 33 countries and more than 1 billion potential customers.

Mondia says it is growing at an average rate of 13% per month and processes about 13 billion transactions per annum.

The announcement comes amid news that Deezer’s regional competitor, Anghami, may be for sale, according to Bloomberg.