Sponsored

Across South Africa, women are actively shaping the economy; they are building businesses, designing solutions, expanding access and creating opportunities that reach far beyond their own success. Their impact is a reminder that inclusion only becomes meaningful when it shifts from intention to action, and from access to measurable economic progress. 

For Visa, this is what women’s economic empowerment looks like in practice; creating the conditions for women-owned businesses to participate, compete and grow. It means enabling them to transact digitally, build credibility, reach customers, access support and operate with greater resilience in a changing economy. That focus matters in a country where an estimated three million MSMEs employ over 13.4 million people. Through partnerships that expand affordable digital acceptance, Visa has helped onboard approximately 1.6 million SMEs into South Africa’s formal financial ecosystem and enabled more than 200,000 businesses to accept digital payments, many for the first time. These figures point to the scale of the opportunity. When small businesses become more visible, connected and resilient, they are better positioned to contribute to growth and job creation.

This Women’s Month, Visa profiles four women in its ecosystem whose work reflects leadership, innovation and entrepreneurship in action.

Lineshree Moodley, Country Head, Visa South Africa

For entrepreneurs, this is particularly important: digital payments are not simply a way to transact; they are a route into the formal economy. They help businesses establish a financial record, improve visibility over cash flow and build the credibility needed to serve more customers and engage more confidently with suppliers, banks and partners.

Despite significant progress in digitisation, many small businesses across South Africa continue to operate largely in cash-based environments. For Moodley, closing this gap is central to ensuring that women-owned businesses are not left on the margins of growth, but are able to compete in the same digital marketplace as larger and more established businesses.

“Women-owned businesses represent one of the greatest opportunities for economic growth. When women entrepreneurs have access to the tools, capital and opportunities they need to succeed, the benefits extend far beyond individual enterprises — creating jobs, strengthening value chains and contributing to more resilient and prosperous economies.”

Meagan Rabe, Head of Merchant Sales, Acquisitions and Fintech, Visa Southern and Eastern Africa

If economic participation creates the foundation for growth, innovation determines how quickly businesses can move beyond survival and scale. For Meagan Rabe, fintechs are central to this shift because they are often closest to the everyday friction entrepreneurs face when trying to get paid, access services or serve customers more efficiently.

Across Africa, fintechs are redefining how businesses engage with the digital economy by solving practical challenges across payments, commerce and working capital. Their value lies in translating technology into tools that are usable, relevant and responsive to the realities of entrepreneurs operating in fast-moving markets.

As digital economies evolve, Rabe believes the next phase of growth will depend less on technology in isolation and more on the ecosystems around it – investors who understand early-stage businesses, mentors who can help founders sharpen their models, and technology partners who can help local solutions reach a broader market.

Emerging technologies such as e-commerce, artificial intelligence and embedded finance are creating new ways for businesses to understand customers, streamline operations and make better decisions. Their promise is not only efficiency, but the ability to help more entrepreneurs turn strong local ideas into businesses that can grow beyond their immediate communities.

“The greatest barrier to innovation is not a lack of ideas — it is a lack of access. When entrepreneurs can connect to the right networks, expertise, capital and technology, they can transform local solutions into businesses that create jobs and drive economic inclusion at scale.”

Cassandra Moodley, Social Impact Analyst, Visa

The organisations that create the greatest impact are often those that understand the people and communities they aim to serve. For Cassandra Moodley, this understanding shapes what organisations prioritise, whose challenges they aim to address and how programmes are designed to respond to real needs.

At Visa, that commitment starts from within. With diverse perspectives represented across the organisation, those insights help shape how the company supports its people, engages communities and builds initiatives that are grounded in lived realities.

Initiatives such as She’s Next reflect this approach by looking at the full journey of an entrepreneur. “We understand that funding may help open a door, but mentorship, business training and visibility help founders make better decisions, strengthen their value proposition and build the confidence to pursue the next stage of growth.” For Moodley, meaningful progress is measured by outcomes.

“The goal is not simply to create opportunities, but to ensure more women are equipped to grow sustainable businesses, build confidence, access new markets and create opportunities for others in turn.”

Christine Maisati, Social CEO, Grandstage Trading | Visa-Absa She’s Next 2025 Winner

Christine Maisati’s journey shows what happens when entrepreneurial vision is supported by the right ecosystem. As CEO of Grandstage Trading, she has built a business that transforms avocado waste into valuable oils, turning an environmental challenge into an engine for enterprise growth.

Grandstage Trading is rooted in sustainability, innovation and practical problem solving. By creating value from agricultural waste, the business contributes to a more circular economy while strengthening supply chain opportunities for SME farmers.

As the winner of Visa ‘s She’s Next 2025, in partnership with Absa, Maisati says the programme has helped strengthen her business model and sharpen her ability to communicate her vision with confidence.

“People buy into the person behind the product,” she says. “With a stronger business model, I now have greater confidence to tell our story, explain our vision and show the value we are creating.” Her story reinforces a broader lesson for women entrepreneurs: capital is essential, but confidence, networks, visibility and market access often determine whether a promising business can scale.

“Entrepreneurship is not only about building a business — it is about creating opportunity, unlocking potential and proving that innovation can come from anywhere.”

Sustained inclusion depends on the systems that help businesses move from potential to performance: digital infrastructure that connects them to the formal economy, innovation that removes practical barriers, programmes shaped by lived realities and entrepreneurs equipped to build resilient enterprises.

For Visa, that is where purpose becomes tangible. Through its network, partnerships and technology, Visa is helping women owned businesses participate with greater confidence in the digital economy, strengthening not only individual enterprises, but the communities, value chains and economies they support.

visa.co.za