Chapa

What Chapa does

Chapa is an Ethiopian payment gateway and financial technology platform, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Addis Ababa, that enables businesses to accept digital payments from local and international customers across cards (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal), mobile money (Telebirr, HelloCash), and direct bank integrations with 15+ Ethiopian banks including CBE, Awash, Dashen, Bunna, and Coop. Its core product is an API-first payment gateway complemented by a modular suite: QR code payments, payment links, event ticketing, donations (notably the MyGERD platform that processed diaspora giving from 87 countries), Chapa Capital for collateral-free merchant lending, Radar for AI-powered fraud detection, Virtual Cards issued in partnership with CBE, and a Merchant App for mobile POS. The platform reports processing 30B+ ETB annually across 100M+ transactions for 1,000+ businesses and 50K+ registered users, supported by 15+ open-source SDKs and a developer Telegram community.

Chapa monetizes primarily through transaction fees (2.5% domestic, 1% international), with secondary revenue from Chapa Capital loan facilitation and interest, Radar fraud screening (ETB 1 per transfer), and emerging virtual card and enterprise service revenue. The go-to-market blends self-serve onboarding for SMBs, an API/SDK-led developer motion for embedded integration, and direct enterprise sales targeting large organizations such as Ethiopian Airlines and government-linked platforms like Teninete (Ministry of Health). Distribution is concentrated in Ethiopia but settlement supports 165+ currencies, enabling diaspora and cross-border collection.

The company operates as Chapa Financial Technologies Share Company under Ethiopian law, licensed by the National Bank of Ethiopia for payment gateway and aggregation activities, and is led by co-founders Nael Hailemariam (CEO) and Israel Goytom (CTO). Funding to date is modest — a $100,000 Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize (October 2024) and prior Visa Accelerator engagement — with disclosed revenue, valuation, and external venture capital backing absent. A December 2024 Ministry of Justice account freeze of Chapa Pay and other Ethiopian payment gateways over suspected tax evasion and money laundering represents a material unresolved regulatory overhang that any investment thesis must address.

Name

Chapa

Legal name

Chapa Financial Technologies Share Company

Website

https://chapa.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chapa is an Ethiopian payment gateway founded in 2020 that enables local businesses to accept digital payments across cards, mobile money, and 15+ Ethiopian banks via API, no-code tools, and a merchant app, serving 1,000+ businesses and processing 30B+ ETB annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Gateway / Digital Payments

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Currency Accounts, Wallets & IBAN Services (FSAMAIAG), Merchant Cross-Border Collections (Pay-ins) & Local Payment Methods (FSAGAKAD), Payment-Integrated Booking & Checkout Modules (THALADAO), Card Issuing & Virtual Cards (lodge cards, single-use, tokenization) (THALAHAB)

Keywords

• Online payment gateway
• Digital payment processing
• Merchant payment solutions
• Payment API integration
• Mobile money payments

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payment Gateway Transaction Fees: Chapa charges transaction fees on every successful payment processed through its platform. Domestic (local) transactions are charged at 2.5% per successful transaction, while international transactions are charged at 1%. These fees are deducted at settlement, with automatic set-off against amounts due to merchants. Volume discounts are available for businesses with large transaction volumes. Special pricing may also be offered for sponsorship arrangements.
2. Chapa Capital (Merchant Lending): Chapa facilitates collateral-free loans to merchants based on their payment history and transaction volume on the platform. Revenue is generated through loan facilitation fees and repayment interest. The repayment is automated through a fixed percentage of the merchant's daily sales until the loan is fully repaid.
3. Radar Fraud Prevention: Chapa Radar, the AI-powered fraud prevention tool, is priced at ETB 1 per screened transfer, with waivers for standard pricing accounts. This provides a secondary revenue stream from fraud detection and monitoring services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chapa operates an Ethiopian payment gateway and fintech platform that enables businesses to accept digital payments from local and international customers. It integrates card networks (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal), local banks, and mobile money platforms (Telebirr, HelloCash), and offers developer APIs, no-code tools (QR codes, payment links, event ticketing, donation campaigns), a merchant mobile app, AI-powered fraud detection, collateral-free merchant lending, and virtual card issuance in partnership with CBE.

Product overview

Chapa operates as a unified payment gateway platform with a modular architecture. The core Chapa Payment Gateway serves as the central platform enabling businesses to accept digital payments through multiple channels including QR Code Payments, Payment Links, Events ticketing, and Donations modules. Additional value-added services include Chapa Capital for collateral-free business loans, Radar for AI-powered fraud detection, and Virtual Cards in partnership with CBE. The platform also offers a Merchant App for mobile business management and Chapa Checkout for streamlined payment collection. With support for over 5 currencies, major card networks (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal), and local mobile money solutions (Telebirr, HelloCash), the platform processes billions in ETB annually across 100M+ transactions serving 50K+ registered users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chapa Capital: Collateral-free loan product for business growth
• Chapa Radar
• Chapa Merchant App
• MyGERD

Products and services

• Chapa Payment Gateway Core online payment gateway enabling Ethiopian businesses to accept digital payments from international and local customers, supporting cards, mobile money, and bank transfers via API integration.
• QR Code Payments Contactless QR code payment solution allowing merchants to generate QR codes for products or services that customers scan to pay.
• Payment Links Instant payment link generation tool allowing merchants to create and share payment links to receive payments immediately.
• Events (Event Ticketing) Online event ticketing solution enabling ticket sales with real-time transaction monitoring and event management.
• Donations Platform Donation campaign platform supporting local and international donations with multiple payment methods, used by NGOs and charities.
• Chapa Capital Collateral-free business loan service using merchant payment history and transaction volume to assess eligibility, with automated repayment via a fixed percentage of daily sales.
• Chapa Radar (Fraud Prevention) AI-powered fraud prevention and anti-money laundering tool using machine learning trained on millions of data points to detect and block fraudulent payments.
• Chapa Virtual Cards Virtual card issuance in partnership with CBE enabling online payments, subscriptions, and withdrawals without physical cards (up to 5 cards per account).
• Chapa Merchant App Mobile application enabling merchants to manage business from phone, generate QR codes and payment links, accept multiple payment methods, and monitor sales. Available on Google Play and App Store.
• Chapa Checkout Hosted checkout solution for collecting payments from customers anywhere in the world on web and mobile with seamless integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 companies raised over $200,000 using Chapa's donation platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Teninete (Ministry of Health)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Chapa serves as the leading payment provider for Teninete, Ethiopia's national digital healthcare platform launched at the National Science Museum inaugurated by President Taye Atske-Selassie Amde. Chapa enables fast and secure transactions for everyday healthcare needs including booking appointments, requesting ambulances, purchasing medicines, and more. The company received recognition from the Ministry of Health presented by State Minister Mrs. Seharela Abdulahi.
• Awash BankcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2025Awash Bank became available as an additional payment option on Chapa for both API integrations and Direct Charge. Customers can now pay using Awash Wallet or Awash Bank Account, expanding the range of local payment methods available to Chapa merchants.
• FlutterwavecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2021Chapa partnered with Flutterwave for international card processing on the MyGERD donation platform, which was launched in July 2021 and completed in 72 hours. Flutterwave handled the international payment card processing while Chapa managed the domestic payment infrastructure, processing donations from thousands of contributors across 87 countries.
• Ethiopian AirlinesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChapa partnered with Ethiopian Airlines to enable passengers to purchase flight tickets directly using local cards through Chapa's payment platform. This partnership brings local card payment convenience to one of Africa's largest brands, Africa’s largest carrier, enabling customers across Ethiopia to pay securely and instantly when booking flights. The signing ceremony was featured on Chapa's website with a video link.
• Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE)coreTechnology or IntegrationChapa partnered with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia for its virtual card issuance product (Chapa Virtual Cards). CBE provides the card infrastructure enabling Chapa to offer virtual cards for online deposits, payments, and withdrawals without a physical debit or credit card.
• National Bank of Ethiopia / EthSwitchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChapa participated in the Ethiopian Digital Payment Conference organized by the National Bank of Ethiopia in collaboration with EthSwitch, which also marked the rollout of the National Digital Payment Strategy 2026 to 2030 (NDPS 2.0). Chapa's engagement positions it as a key infrastructure partner in the country's formal digital payments ecosystem.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Flutterwave: Pan-African payment processor providing integrated gateway and cross-border processing across multiple African markets. Directly comparable to Chapa as an African PSP, and an actual integration partner on MyGERD.
• Paystack: Nigerian-headquartered payment gateway serving African businesses with developer-first APIs, multi-channel acceptance, and international processing. Closest direct analog in business model to Chapa at greater scale.
• Safaricom Ethiopia / M-Pesa: Mobile money operator with 21M+ users in Ethiopia, providing wallet, merchant payments, and increasingly lending. Competes with Chapa for merchant payment acceptance while expanding into the gateway value chain.
• Interswitch: Pan-African digital payments and commerce company offering gateway processing, card issuing, and merchant acquiring across multiple African markets. Closest public-market analog for an integrated African PSP.
• Stripe: Global developer-first payment processor with extensive APIs, multi-method checkout, fraud tooling (Radar), and embedded finance products. Sets the product benchmark Chapa's API and developer experience is modeled on.

Direct peers

• Telebirr: Ethio Telecom's mobile money platform and dominant Ethiopian consumer wallet with massive scale. Chapa integrates Telebirr as a payment method but also competes with it for merchant acceptance and adjacent financial services.
• HelloCash: Ethiopian mobile money and merchant payment provider also integrated into Chapa's checkout. Competes directly with Chapa for SMB merchants in Ethiopia while serving as a payment rail Chapa exposes.
• SanuPay: Ethiopian fintech that recently launched a domestic credit card product with OpenWay infrastructure. Directly comparable Ethiopian payments infrastructure peer pursuing card issuing and processing in the same market.

Emerging players

• Chipper Cash: Pan-African cross-border payments and mobile money platform serving diaspora and intra-Africa transfers. Comparable on cross-border and developer-led distribution axes, especially relevant to Chapa's diaspora ambitions.

Regional players

• Yenepay: Ethiopian payment gateway competitor offering developer APIs, mobile money and card acceptance, and e-commerce plugins. Closest head-to-head competitor within the Ethiopian gateway niche Chapa operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@chapa-ethiopia
• Instagraminstagram.com/chapa.et
• Facebookfacebook.com/CHAPA-100173918836239
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chapa-financial-technologies

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Chapa