Zone
Zone operates Africa's first Layer-1 regulated blockchain payment network, processing transactions for Nigerian banks and fintechs via ZonePOS, ZoneATM, and ZoneFT. Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, it connects 15+ financial institutions with smart contract-driven settlement and compliance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLekki, Nigeria
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Zone does
Zone (formerly Appzone), headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, operates Africa's first Layer-1 regulated blockchain network for payment processing. The company operates a permissioned proof-of-authority blockchain with an EVM-compatible runtime supporting Solidity smart contracts, connected to NIBSS (Nigeria's National Clearing House) and legacy banking infrastructure via third-party bridges. Zone serves banks and fintechs through three core products: ZonePOS (a decentralized POS payment gateway enabling direct acquirer-to-issuer card routing and automated on-chain reconciliation), ZoneATM (decentralized peer-to-peer ATM switching), and ZoneFT (instant interbank funds transfers). A ZoneRemit product for cross-border and intra-African remittances is planned for 2025.
The network has processed over 5 million transactions for 15+ banks and fintechs, with Zone reporting a 99.99% transaction success rate on POS volumes and 100% uptime on ZonePOS. Zone is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a switching and processing operator (license acquired May 2021), and NIBSS runs a validator node performing PTSA compliance checks on every transaction. Smart contracts handle regulatory enforcement (KYC, AML, exchange controls), on-chain settlement accounts, and zero-chargeback dispute handling.
Zone generates revenue through per-transaction processing fees charged to financial institutions. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales to banks and large fintechs with a developer-facing API portal (card-present.readme.io) for self-serve integration by smaller fintechs. The company is privately held, backed by an $8.5 million seed round closed in March 2024 and led by Flourish Ventures and TLcom Capital, with participation from Digital Currency Group, Endeavor Catalyst, CMT Digital, Alter Global Ventures, and Verod Kepple Africa Ventures.
Zone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zone
- Legal name
- Zone Payment Network Limited
- Website
- https://zonenetwork.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Zone operates Africa's first Layer-1 regulated blockchain payment network, processing transactions for Nigerian banks and fintechs via ZonePOS, ZoneATM, and ZoneFT. Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, it connects 15+ financial institutions with smart contract-driven settlement and compliance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Payment Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms (BPAMAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Blockchain Settlement & Clearing Infrastructure (On-/Off-chain Post-Trade) (FSAGAMAC), Crypto Payment Gateways & Checkout APIs (FSADAIAA), Settlement, Clearing & Reconciliation for Tokenized Assets (DvP, PvP, netting, post-trade) (FSAPAIAI), Fraud, Risk, KYC/AML & Compliance Platforms (BPAMAFAI)
Keywords
Where Zone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lekki
- HQ country
- Nigeria
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Transaction Processing Fees: Zone charges financial institutions (banks, fintechs) fees for processing and routing payment transactions through its decentralized blockchain network. As a licensed switching and processing operator, Zone earns per-transaction fees across its POS, ATM, and funds transfer products.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Zone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zone operates Africa's first regulated Layer-1 blockchain network for payments, enabling banks, fintechs, and payment processors to route transactions directly between financial institutions without centralized intermediaries. Its commercial products include ZonePOS (decentralized POS payment gateway), ZoneATM (decentralized ATM switching), and ZoneFT (instant interbank funds transfers), all delivering direct routing, on-chain settlement, automated reconciliation, and programmatic KYC/AML and exchange-control compliance for licensed financial institutions across Africa.
Product overview
Zone is a payment infrastructure company offering a platform-plus-modules architecture built on Africa's first Layer-1 regulated blockchain network. The core product portfolio includes ZonePOS (decentralized payment gateway for POS transactions), ZoneATM (decentralized ATM switching), ZoneFT (instant interbank funds transfers), and ZoneRemit (planned remittance product). All products are built on the regulated blockchain infrastructure which provides direct routing between financial institutions, automated reconciliation, real-time settlement, and compliance enforcement through smart contracts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ZonePOS: Decentralized payment gateway for POS transactions enabling direct card routing, instant settlements, and real-time reconciliation.
- ZoneATM
- ZoneFT
- ZoneRemit
Products and services
- ZonePOS A decentralized payment gateway for point-of-sale (POS) transactions that empowers merchants and agents with direct card routing to issuers, bypassing failure points. Provides automated reconciliation to eliminate chargebacks, instant settlements to unlock liquidity, and direct-to-issuer transaction processing without third-party intermediaries. Designed for merchants, agents, and the banks and fintechs that serve them.
- ZoneATM
- ZoneFT
- Zone Regulated Blockchain Network
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.99% transaction success rate (general technical success rate)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Zone
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Zone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Zone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- NIBSS (Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System)coreZone partnered with NIBSS (Nigeria's National Clearing House and Central Switch) to decentralize Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA) functions using blockchain technology. NIBSS has a node on Zone's blockchain network, enabling it to perform PTSA compliance checks on all transactions before settlement. This partnership was announced August 2024 and is a key regulatory integration.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Zone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zone social profiles
Digital presenceZone compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Zone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Zone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zone M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zone
What does Zone do?
Zone operates Africa's first regulated Layer-1 blockchain network for payments, enabling banks, fintechs, and payment processors to route transactions directly between financial institutions without centralized intermediaries. Its commercial products include ZonePOS (decentralized POS payment gateway), ZoneATM (decentralized ATM switching), and ZoneFT (instant interbank funds transfers), all delivering direct routing, on-chain settlement, automated reconciliation, and programmatic KYC/AML and exchange-control compliance for licensed financial institutions across Africa.
Is Zone a public or private company?
Zone is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zone founded?
Zone was founded in 2021. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Zone based?
Zone is headquartered in Lekki, Nigeria, in the Africa region.
How does Zone make money?
One revenue line is on record: transaction Processing Fees.
Does Zone have an API?
Yes. Zone provides APIs, network gateways, payment rails, integrations, and plugins for developers to build and run decentralized financial applications. The network supports EVM-compatible application runtime natively supporting Solidity smart contracts. Connectivity is established via a virtual private network. Developer documentation is at card-present.readme.io/reference/introduction.
What industry is Zone in?
Zone's product category is Blockchain Payment Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAFAL, Crypto Payments & Stablecoin Settlement Platforms, with a secondary code of FSAGAMAC, Blockchain Settlement & Clearing Infrastructure (On-/Off-chain Post-Trade). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6200.