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Whish Money Launches Region’s First Cardless Shopify Checkout
Whish Pay offers instant, secure, and fully cashless e-commerce payments for online merchants across the region.
Whish Money, a fintech innovator headquartered in Lebanon, has announced the launch of Whish Pay on leading e-commerce platform Shopify. The integration marks the first regional introduction of a fully cardless checkout solution, and is poised to revolutionize digital transactions and bolster e-commerce growth across the Middle East.
“At Whish Money, we are committed to empowering businesses with innovative financial solutions. This integration is a game-changer for regional e-commerce,” said Toufic Koussa, Whish Money’s Co-Founder and CEO, adding: “Whish Pay on Shopify empowers merchants with a frictionless checkout experience, eliminating the pain points of online payments and providing entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed in a digital world”.
Whish Pay’s seamless, cardless checkout provides merchants and customers alike with immediate transaction settlements, eliminates chargeback risks, and boasts a highly competitive fee structure. Shopify merchants now have instant access to Whish Money’s growing base of over 1 million active users, who can effortlessly complete purchases directly from their Whish digital wallets, accelerating transaction speed and boosting merchant confidence.
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Commenting on the partnership, Jad Fakhani (also known as Wolfofbey), a prominent entrepreneur and e-commerce mentor in the region, highlighted its transformative potential: “Whish Pay on Shopify marks a transformative step for the region’s digital commerce. It empowers local businesses to expand rapidly, compete globally, and succeed with unmatched speed, security, and simplicity”.
Already recognized by leading platforms for its robust payment technology, Whish Pay’s integration with Shopify broadens its reach, further cementing Whish Money’s reputation as a trusted partner committed to advancing regional businesses through groundbreaking fintech innovations.
News
Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
Egypt’s telecom regulator says $57.6 billion moved through more than 57 million wallets in six months. And one operator handled 77% of the value.
Egypt’s mobile wallets handled EGP 2.96 trillion ($57.6 billion) in transactions in the first half of 2026, according to the National Telecom Regulatory Authority – a 56% rise on the EGP 1.90 trillion ($36.9 billion) recorded a year earlier. Transactions grew faster still, up 62% to 2.22 billion, while registered wallets climbed 23% to 57.01 million.
On one reading, that is exactly what Egypt’s regulators have been pushing for: a payments system that runs through telecom-linked wallets rather than banknotes. But the same data shows how far cash still reaches into it. Cash withdrawals made up just 12% of the transactions taking money out of wallets, yet 75% of the value withdrawn or spent.
Money arrives mostly from bank accounts: transfers through InstaPay accounted for 78% of deposit transactions and 58% of the value deposited, while incoming remittances from abroad made up 3% of deposit transactions but 10% of their value. Once inside, it largely moves between wallets – wallet-to-wallet transfers accounted for 54% of all transactions and 67% of total value, with mobile and internet top-ups a distant second at 25% of volume. In effect, the wallet is serving as a transfer layer: the place money passes through between the bank account and the banknote.
That layer also runs predominantly through one operator. Vodafone Cash held 53% of registered wallets and 57% of active ones, but handled 69% of transactions and 77% of their value. Its nearest rival, e& money, held 23% of registered wallets but 14% of transaction value; Orange Cash 20% and 8%; WE Pay 4% of wallets. How many of the 57.01 million are active is not stated.
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Adoption is rather uneven in other respects. Men held 38 million wallets, or 67% of the total, against 19 million held by women. Users aged 26 to 45 accounted for half of all wallets, and Cairo alone had 10.6 million, or 19% of the national total, with Giza next at 6.5 million.
The NTRA says it is continuing to work with telecom operators on the regulatory framework for wallet services, part of a wider effort to expand electronic payments and financial inclusion. Its own figures show that effort succeeding on the way in. On the way out, three-quarters of the value still leaves as cash.
Egypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
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