Mastercard and Tamatem, one of MENA’s mobile games publishers backed by Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Abu Dhabi Gaming (ADG), have joined forces to enhance in-app gaming experiences across the Middle East and Africa.
Under the collaboration, Mastercard Gateway, available via Mastercard Merchant Cloud, will become the payment gateway behind Tamatem Plus, Tamatem’s white-label digital commerce platform and marketplace, in more than 13 markets across the Middle East and Africa, starting with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
According to a recent report, the value of the MENA region’s gaming market reached around $7.1 billion in 2025, rising by 7.5% year on year. With more people across the region enjoying gaming experiences, this collaboration leverages Mastercard’s payment innovation to deliver secure and simple payment experiences across the Tamatem commerce platform.
By combining their expertise, the organizations aim to provide an enhanced checkout experience to players, while providing game publishers with a direct-to-consumer channel that enables them to build stronger relationships with players and gain greater control over brand and purchasing experiences.
“At Mastercard, we are committed to connecting people to their passions, and gaming is one of the fastest-growing passions in the region. Through meaningful partnerships, we are digitizing in-game payments to deliver unprecedented convenience to players and level up engagement. Tamatem is a remarkable local success story, and we are excited to combine our advanced technology and global network with their vision to unlock enhanced experiences for the gaming community,” said Mete Güney, executive vice president, Market Development, EEMEA, Mastercard, in a press release.
“When we started Tamatem in 2013, our belief was simple: MENA deserves world-class gaming built for our language and our culture. Today, enhancing the payment experience behind the games millions of people across our region love is the natural next chapter of that mission,” said Hussam Hammo, founder and CEO, Tamatem, in the same press release.
“Partnering with Mastercard is a proud moment for every person at Tamatem and a signal of what homegrown Arab technology can achieve on the global stage. Together, we are making it simpler and more secure for every gamer in the region to play, pay and belong.”
The collaboration leverages Mastercard Gateway, a global payment platform that enables secure transaction processing across multiple channels — from in-store to websites and mobile apps.
Available through Mastercard Merchant Cloud, Mastercard’s unified, open acceptance framework, the platform provides a streamlined way for businesses to access modular payment solutions, such as agentic commerce, advanced fraud protection, authentication, tokenization, data and partner services — ultimately enabling merchants and businesses across MEA and beyond to scale faster, more securely and with less friction.
“Gaming companies entering MENA face a highly fragmented payments landscape, with different consumer preferences, payment methods and infrastructure requirements across every market. Tamatem Plus was built to remove that complexity through one localized commerce and payments platform.”
“By combining Mastercard’s global payment capabilities with our regional infrastructure and market knowledge, we can give leading gaming companies a simpler and more effective way to scale and grow across MENA,” said Faisal Al Bitar, managing director of Tamatem Plus, in the press release.
The collaboration aims to enable gamers to use Tamatem’s platform, Tamatem Plus, where players can check out through localized web stores and in-game checkout experiences using cards, local alternative payment methods and telco wallet balances, with authentication and fraud protection built in.