What Payaza does

Payaza Africa Limited is a Lagos-headquartered, Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed fintech that operates a cloud-based payments and commerce infrastructure platform for merchants across Africa and selected global markets. Its core offerings span two anchor products — Collections (Checkout, Payment Link, Branches sub-accounts, and POS Terminal modules under a unified dashboard) and Payout (an API-based cross-border disbursement engine) — supplemented by purpose-built sub-products including EventPorte (ticketing), Payaza Give (donations), ShopAza (an AI-powered e-commerce storefront platform launched June 2026 covering 54 African nations and 23 global markets), and Chat & Pay (a WhatsApp-native conversational checkout feature launched April 2026). The technology stack combines a public API with developer documentation, KYC and real-time transaction monitoring for fraud, and AI-native features including image-to-catalog generation and predictive market insights, with integrations into MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money in Uganda following a Payment System Operator license obtained there in February 2026.

The business model is purely transaction-based with no subscription tiers: 1.4% (capped at ₦2,000) on domestic Nigerian card transactions, 5.5% on international card transactions, and a flat ₦100 per transaction on payouts, instant collections, virtual account transfers, split/bulk payments, and payment links. Go-to-market combines a self-serve merchant dashboard (business.payaza.africa), an API-first developer channel (docs.payaza.africa), an enterprise sales motion for high-volume payouts, and bank/telco channel partnerships (UBA, MTN, Airtel). Growth has been debt-funded rather than equity-funded — a ₦50 billion commercial paper program approved by FMDQ Exchange in December 2024 with a ₦20 billion SEC-approved tranche in August 2025 — and the company holds investment-grade credit ratings from four agencies (DataPro AA-, Intelligence Africa A-, Agusto A-, GCR/Moody's A-). Headcount remains modest at 11-50 employees despite the broad geographic claims, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Payaza

Legal name

Payaza Africa Limited

Website

https://payaza.africa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Payaza is a Lagos-based, CBN-licensed African fintech operating a cloud-based payments and commerce infrastructure platform spanning collections, cross-border payouts, AI-powered storefronts (ShopAza), and WhatsApp checkout, serving merchants across 54 African nations and 23 global markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Infrastructure

akta.pro primary industry

Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets) (FSAGALAB), Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management) (FSAMABAF), Marketplace & Platform Seller Payouts (FSAMAKAE)

Keywords

• Payment processing
• Cross-border payouts
• Mobile money integration
• Merchant collections
• Digital payment infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Transaction fees on card collections: Payaza charges a percentage-based transaction fee on card collections: 1.4% (capped at ₦2,000) on domestic card transactions in Nigeria, and 5.5% on international card transactions.
2. Fixed payout and transfer fees: Flat ₦100 per transaction fee for payout-only transfers, instant branch collections, virtual account transfers, split/bulk payments, payment links, and recurring payments (1.4% capped at ₦2,000 for recurring).
3. Commercial paper financing: Payaza is raising approximately ₦20 billion (via a ₦50 billion program) through SEC-approved commercial paper issuances to fund infrastructure, products, and geographic expansion across Africa, indicating capital markets activity and lender relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Payaza is a pan-African payments and commerce infrastructure provider that enables businesses to accept payments (collections via cards, transfers, payment links, POS, mobile money), disburse funds (local and cross-border payouts to employees, vendors, suppliers), manage multi-branch operations, and run e-commerce storefronts through a unified API-accessible platform. Its product suite spans Checkout, Payment Link, POS Terminal, Branches, Payout, Payaza Give, EventPorte, ShopAza, and the WhatsApp-based Chat & Pay feature, with regulatory licensing in Nigeria and Uganda.

Product overview

Payaza is a pan-African fintech company offering a multi-product payments infrastructure platform rather than a single product. Its portfolio is anchored on two core products — Collections (which bundles Checkout, Payment Link, Branches, and POS Terminal as modules) and Payout (an API-based cross-border disbursement solution with sub-account and wallet features) — and is complemented by purpose-built sub-products including Payaza Give (donations and social impact), EventPorte (ticketing and event payments), ShopAza (an AI-powered cloud-based e-commerce platform launched June 2026), and the WhatsApp-based Chat & Pay feature (launched April 2026). Together these products form a unified commerce and payment infrastructure serving merchants across African markets and selected global markets, with supporting capabilities in settlements, fraud monitoring, and developer APIs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shopaza: AI-powered cloud-based e-commerce platform launched by Payaza in June 2026, integrating shopfront creation, multi-currency payments, inventory management, and order processing for African merchants.
• Chat and Pay by Payaza
• Payaza Give
• EventPorte
• Payaza Branches

Products and services

• Collections A unified payment acceptance solution that enables businesses to collect payments via multiple channels — Checkout, Payment Link, Branches, and POS Terminal — from a single dashboard, supporting cards, transfers, and mobile money.
• Checkout A secure payment solution for websites and mobile apps that lets businesses offer multiple payment options on one platform to increase sales conversion.
• Payment Link A customizable no-code payment link that lets merchants accept online payments in a few clicks without needing a website or online platform.
• POS Terminal A physical POS device that enables merchants to collect money on the spot via card or transfer and generate receipts when used with Payaza Branches.
• Payout An international API-based payout and transfer solution that enables businesses to instantly and securely disburse payments to employees, vendors, and suppliers locally and across the globe, supporting bulk or single payouts with sub-accounts and customer wallets.
• Branches A multi-outlet management solution that lets merchants create and manage multiple sub-accounts under one main business account, each with its own dashboard, collection tools, virtual account numbers, real-time reporting, and centralized control.
• ShopAza A cloud-based AI-powered e-commerce platform that integrates shopfront creation, multi-currency payments, inventory management, and order processing for merchants across 23 global markets and 54 African nations, with AI features that auto-populate product catalogs from uploaded images and AI-driven market insights.
• Chat & Pay A WhatsApp-based feature that integrates automated checkout flows directly into WhatsApp conversations, enabling seamless instant payments without app-switching for SMEs and large corporations in Nigeria's conversational commerce ecosystem.
• Payaza Give A Payaza product designed to simplify donations and social impact payments for organizations.
• EventPorte A Payaza product that enables event organizers to sell tickets, collect payments, and run their event payment operations.
• Settlements A Payaza settlement feature surfaced as a product line in the site navigation, supporting merchant settlement operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 54 African nations and 23 global markets supported by Shopaza platform
• +3 more outcomes

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability10 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)coreOthersPayaza Africa Limited is fully licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to operate its payment services business. The CBN license underpins Payaza's ability to provide collections, payouts, and other regulated payment services in Nigeria.
• Bank of UgandacoreOthersPayaza obtained a Payment System Operator (PSO) license from Uganda, enabling it to operate directly within Uganda's regulated financial system. The license authorizes local and international payment processing, integration with MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money, and multi-currency settlement for cross-border transactions.
• MTN Mobile MoneycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayaza integrates with MTN Mobile Money as a mobile money channel under its Uganda PSO license, enabling local and international payment processing and cross-border multi-currency settlement in Uganda.
• Airtel MoneycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayaza integrates with Airtel Money as a mobile money channel under its Uganda PSO license, enabling local and international payment processing and cross-border multi-currency settlement in Uganda.
• Keystone BankminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKeystone Bank representatives participated in the Shopaza launch event in Lagos alongside Payaza leadership and Blaaiz Innovations Technology, indicating a banking partner relationship supporting Payaza's commercial rollout.
• Blaaiz Innovations TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlaaiz Innovations Technology participated in the Shopaza launch event in Lagos alongside Payaza leadership, signaling a co-development or co-launch partnership tied to Payaza's expansion into e-commerce infrastructure.
• United Bank for Africa (UBA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayaza participated in UBA's inaugural Fintech Conference in Lagos, alongside PalmPay, OPay, Mastercard, Visa, NIBSS, and Central Bank of Nigeria representatives, to discuss bank-fintech collaboration, regulation, innovation, and payments evolution across Africa.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Flutterwave: Pan-African payments infrastructure company offering card collections, payouts, and cross-border settlement across multiple African countries. Directly competes with Payaza on API-first payments, multi-country presence, and bank/mobile money integrations, and is the most well-capitalized direct competitor in the space.
• Paystack: Nigerian-born payments processor (now owned by Stripe) offering card collections, transfers, and APIs to African merchants. Closest direct peer to Payaza's Collections, Checkout, and Payment Link products for Nigerian SMBs and developers, with stronger brand recognition and Stripe-backed balance sheet.
• OPay: Nigerian super-app combining mobile money, card payments, transfers, and merchant services, backed by large Chinese and African investors. Competes directly with Payaza on consumer and merchant payments in Nigeria, and is named alongside Payaza in the UBA Fintech Conference ecosystem.
• PalmPay: Nigeria-focused mobile money and payments app offering transfers, card payments, and merchant services. Competes with Payaza on consumer and SMB payments rails and was present alongside Payaza at the UBA Fintech Conference, signaling overlap in target merchants and partners.
• Chipper Cash: Cross-border mobile money and payments app operating across African countries and the African diaspora. Directly comparable to Payaza's Payout and cross-border multi-currency settlement capabilities, particularly for cross-border remittance and disbursement use cases.
• Moniepoint: Nigerian business banking and payments platform providing POS, collections, and disbursements to SMBs. Overlaps with Payaza's POS Terminal, Branches, and Collections products targeting Nigerian merchants, and is one of the most aggressive merchant acquirers in the segment.

Broad incumbents

• Interswitch: Long-established Nigerian payments processor and switching infrastructure operator with Verve and Quickteller, covering cards, transfers, and merchant acquiring across Africa. A broad incumbent that competes with Payaza in collections and payouts but operates at significantly larger scale and incumbent distribution.

Emerging players

• Mono: Nigerian fintech data and payments infrastructure provider offering account linking, KYC, and payment initiation APIs. Competes with Payaza on developer-first API infrastructure in Nigeria, but with a tighter focus on open banking rather than full-stack payments.
• Stax: Nigerian fintech offering business banking, POS, and payment APIs to African SMBs. Overlaps with Payaza's Checkout, POS, and API-based collections offerings for Nigerian merchants, with comparable GTM and target customer profile.

Regional players

• Wave: Mobile money operator focused on West Africa (Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda) offering peer-to-peer transfers and merchant payments. Comparable to Payaza on mobile money rails and SMB payments in West Africa, though not directly active in Nigeria, Payaza's primary market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mypayaza
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@payazaafricalimited?si=seprERTyhXlWJXQO
• Facebookfacebook.com/payazaafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/payaza-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/paywithpayaza

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Payaza