Visa and Switch Al Maghrib join forces to fight payment fraud in Morocco

Morocco is moving to strengthen its digital payments system, as Visa and Switch Al Maghrib (SWAM) announce a partnership aimed at reducing electronic payment fraud.

The collaboration uses artificial intelligence to detect suspicious activity, reflecting the country’s push to make cashless transactions safer and more reliable. 

Over the past few years, electronic payments in Morocco have grown steadily.

Rising consumer adoption, the expansion of e-commerce, and government initiatives promoting digital payments have made card transactions more common across urban and rural areas.

But with this growth comes increased exposure to fraud, prompting financial authorities and payment networks to adopt stronger security measures. 

The new partnership focuses on embedding fraud detection at the infrastructure level.

SWAM, which operates Morocco’s national payment switch, will integrate Visa Advanced Authorization (Network Agnostic VAA) into its systems.

The AI-driven solution evaluates the risk of each transaction in real time, covering both in-store and online card payments.

By assigning a risk score before transactions are approved, it can flag potentially fraudulent activity before losses occur.

AI-Powered protection without slowing payments 

The initiative is part of Visa Protect, a suite of services designed to improve security without affecting user experience.

Consumers and merchants benefit from additional safeguards while transaction speed and usability remain unchanged, ensuring day-to-day payments stay smooth and reliable. 

SWAM, one of Morocco’s five licensed Financial Market Infrastructures and supervised by Bank Al-Maghrib, manages transaction routing, clearing, and settlement between banks.

CEO Hanae Ben Driss said the partnership strengthens confidence in the national payment system.

“By integrating Visa Advanced Authorization at the heart of the national switch, we significantly enhance our ability to detect and prevent fraud in real time,” she said.

Supporting Morocco’s digital growth 

Leila Serhan, Visa’s Group Country Manager for North Africa, the Levant, and Pakistan, added: “This partnership reflects Visa’s commitment to Morocco.

Using AI to detect fraud at the infrastructure level strengthens security, supports innovation, and protects consumers.” 

The integration marks an important step in Morocco’s ongoing effort to modernize its payment systems.

By adding robust protections at the core of its national infrastructure, the country is better positioned to expand secure digital payments, improve financial inclusion, and build trust across both urban and rural communities.