dLocal, a cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, has announced that it has teamed up with Microsoft to reach new customers in emerging markets with localised payment methods. In the first phase of the collaboration, Microsoft launched local acquiring for both credit and debit cards in Nigeria. In the coming months, Microsoft will use dLocal’s Payins solution to add additional popular local payment methods, as well as expanding to include other emerging markets, globally.
Through the agreement, shoppers on the Microsoft Store website in Nigeria will be able to pay with local credit cards for a variety of products, such as Microsoft 365 Consumer and Family subscriptions. With global gaming worldwide on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, the need to create a more inclusive purchasing experience was a key driver for Microsoft to expand its payment options for customers in Nigeria, and beyond, to satisfy the demand.
Previously, customers could only pay with international credit cards, triggering steep exchange fees and higher rates of declined transactions due to exchange rate volatility. By working with dLocal to offer locally issued Visa and Mastercard card payments, Microsoft will be able to operate in Nigeria with significantly improved authorisation rates.
“Nigeria’s cashless initiative is driving growth for e-commerce and digital payments services, and domestic credit cards are a large part of the market,” said Meirav Adi, VP Sales of dLocal. “Authorisation rates are an important factor in improving sales volume in e-commerce and providing a positive experience for customers. We are pleased to partner with Microsoft and provide them with the ability to accept payments that are widely used in these target markets to help fuel their continued growth in the region, and beyond.”
From a user perspective, Microsoft will not be making any changes to the current payment experience due to the integration, and current subscriptions will continue to function as usual.
Local card acquiring is part of dLocal’s Payins solution that allows merchants to collect payments from their customers in emerging markets in their respective local currency. The major benefit for the merchant is the access to a variety of local payment methods as well as the possibility to receive funds in USD, EU or any other currency within the countries dLocal operates in, without having to establish its own local entity. dLocal clients deploying the payins solution see an average increase of 20% in conversion rate.
