What SwitchLink Africa does

SwitchLink Africa is a Nairobi-headquartered, Kenya-licensed payment services provider operating the PesiPay payment platform. Founded around 2018 and licensed by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK), the company provides an API-first payment gateway that enables businesses to accept and disburse funds through multiple channels including mobile money (Paybill and Till numbers), bank transfers, online wallets, and cross-border payments. The platform connects to 10+ bank switches and aggregators, with stated reach to 100M+ bank accounts and mobile money wallets and cumulative processed volume of 20B+ across 3M+ individual transactions.

The core product is PesiPay, which supports single and bulk payments, disbursements, payroll and supplier settlements, bill and utility payments, and international transfers for both merchants and individuals. Integration is delivered through APIs and plugins that connect to e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, and POS systems. SwitchLink Africa also offers an adjacent digital marketing product suite — Context Ads, Target Ads, Web Analytics, Data Analysis, Link Building, and Media Promotion — distributed through the same enterprise sales motion.

The company monetizes primarily through transaction processing fees on payments routed through its switch, with pricing on a quote-based enterprise model supplemented by a free registration tier. It targets seven vertical segments: lending institutions, FMCGs, mobile network operators, money remittance providers, insurance companies, payment aggregators, and events organizing companies. Distribution is API-first with direct enterprise sales engagement, and the company operates within Kenya's licensed payment switch ecosystem alongside Kenswitch and PesaLink. In November 2025, Kenya's Tax Tribunal ruled payment switch firms including SwitchLink Africa VAT-exempt, materially protecting interchange-fee economics. The company is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed funding rounds, led by CEO Daniel Kiriungi, and operates with a 1–10 employee headcount.

Name

SwitchLink Africa

Legal name

Switchlink Africa

Website

https://switchlinkafrica.co.ke

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SwitchLink Africa is a Kenya-licensed, API-first payment services provider operating the PesiPay platform, enabling businesses across seven verticals to accept and disburse payments via mobile money, bank transfers, wallets, and cross-border channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border & Multi-Currency Gateway Services (FSAMACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border Payouts & Mass Disbursements (Pay-outs) (FSAMAIAJ), Consumer Remittances (P2P) (FSAMAIAA), Bank-to-Bank Transfers & Pay-by-Bank (Consumer & Merchant) (FSAMAFAC)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Mobile money integration
• Payment gateway platform
• Cross-border payments
• API payment solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction Processing Fees: Revenue generated from processing payment transactions including mobile money, bank transfers, paybill payments, and bulk disbursements. The platform charges fees on each transaction processed through the switch.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SwitchLink Africa operates the PesiPay payment platform that enables businesses to accept and make electronic payments through multiple channels, including mobile money (Paybill, Till numbers), bank transfers, online wallets, and international cross-border payments. The platform is delivered via API and plugin integration with e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, and point-of-sale systems, supporting omnichannel payouts, bulk disbursements, and collections for businesses across Kenya and Africa.

Product overview

SwitchLink Africa offers a comprehensive suite of payment solutions designed for businesses across Kenya and Africa. The core offering is the PesiPay by Switchlink Africa payment platform, which facilitates omnichannel payouts and collections. The company also provides supporting services including Local Processing, Finance Automation, and Payouts & Transfers. Additionally, SwitchLink Africa offers digital marketing products including Context Ads, Target Ads, Web Analytics, Data Analysis, Link Building, and Media Promotion. The platform supports multiple payment methods including mobile money (Paybill, Till numbers), bank transfers, and international payments, connecting to over 10 bank switches and aggregators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PesiPay: A payment platform by SwitchLink Africa that powers businesses to accept and make safe, easy and secure electronic payments.

Products and services

• PesiPay Payment Platform A comprehensive payment platform that powers businesses to accept and make safe, easy, and secure electronic payments. Facilitates smooth transactions between businesses and customers through omnichannel payout and collection capabilities, integrating mobile money, bank transfers, online wallets, and international payments.
• Local Processing Domestic payment processing service supporting local payment methods including mobile money (Paybill, Till numbers), bank transfers, and online wallets, enabling real-time transaction processing for businesses operating in Kenya.
• Finance Automation Automated payment and disbursement service supporting single and bulk payments, bill and utility payments, tills, paybills, and payroll processing for businesses seeking to streamline their financial operations.
• Payouts & Transfers Cross-border payment and international transfer service enabling merchants and individuals to send and receive payments across Africa and international markets, including cross-border remittance capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100M+ bank accounts and mobile money wallets accessible for transactions
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KenswitchcoreTechnology or IntegrationSwitchLink Africa operates within Kenya's payment switch ecosystem alongside Kenswitch, PesaLink, and other licensed switch operators. The Kenya tax tribunal ruling confirmed payment switches like Kenswitch and SwitchLink Africa provide VAT-exempt financial services as part of the national payment infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Interswitch: Pan-African digital payments and switching company operating a unified platform across Nigeria and broader Africa; directly comparable as a licensed switch/gateway connecting banks, mobile money, merchants and corporates, with overlapping cross-border and payout capabilities.
• Kenswitch: Kenya-based payment switch operator explicitly named alongside SwitchLink Africa in the 2025 Kenya VAT-tribunal ruling; competes head-to-head as a licensed interbank switch connecting banks and mobile-money rails domestically.
• Cellulant: Pan-African payments platform providing mobile money, collections, disbursements and bank-switch connectivity for merchants, lenders and MNOs across multiple African markets — comparable vertical coverage and API-first switch architecture.
• DPO Group: African online payments gateway serving merchants, banks and corporates across multiple countries; comparable as a regional payment processor offering multi-currency collections, payouts and merchant integration.
• Flutterwave: Pan-African payment gateway enabling cross-border collections and payouts across multiple African currencies; overlaps with SwitchLink's merchant-facing payment-processing and FX/cross-border capability.
• Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa): Pan-African mobile-money hub operating cross-border remittances, payouts and merchant payment rails across 40+ African markets; directly comparable in cross-border and disbursement use-cases for African money movement.
• PesaLink: Kenya Bankers Association-run real-time interbank payment switch enabling person-to-person and person-to-business bank transfers; shares Kenyan switch infrastructure with SwitchLink and was cited in the same VAT ruling.

Emerging players

• Chipper Cash: Pan-African cross-border consumer remittance and payments app operating in multiple African countries; comparable in African cross-border P2P and merchant payment routes though concentrated on consumer remittances.

Broad incumbents

• Visa Direct / Mastercard Send: Global card-network operated cross-border P2P payout and remittance products that compete with SwitchLink's mass-disbursement / cross-border payout capability across African bank and mobile-money endpoints.
• Safaricom (M-Pesa / M-Pesa Africa): Kenya's dominant mobile-money operator and a primary rail SwitchLink integrates with for Paybill/Till payments, disbursements and collections; while much larger in scope, it competes for the same merchant payment volume in Kenya.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Switchlink_
• Facebookfacebook.com/SwitchLinkAfrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/switchlink-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/switchlinkafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 SwitchLink Africa