SISP

What SISP does

SISP (Sociedade Interbancária e Sistemas de Pagamentos / Interbank Company and Payment Systems) is the mandated national operator of Cape Verde's electronic payment infrastructure, founded in 1999 under the leadership of Banco de Cabo Verde as a public limited company (sociedade anônima). Its shareholders comprise the central bank, the Treasury Directorate-General, several commercial banks (Caixa Económica, BCA, BCN, Banco Interatlântico, BAI), and the national telecommunications operator CVTelecom, with share capital of CVE 105,000,000 as of 31 December 2024. The company serves Cape Verdean credit institutions and the public sector on the B2B side, and 434,107+ vinti4 cardholders on the B2C side, operating 251 ATMs and 15,093 POS terminals across all islands (as of 31 May 2026).

The company's core platform is the vinti4 national interbank switching network, built on 100% in-house developed EFT and automated check-clearing systems, a Visa- and MasterCard-certified Card Production Center (up to 1,400 cards/hour), a Public Key Infrastructure (ICP-CV) certification authority with Adobe AATL recognition, and a licensed SWIFT Service Bureau. Its product set includes vinti4 cards/ATMs/POS, TEF (Electronic Funds Transfer) with two daily clearings, image-based check clearing, Televinti4 mobile service, QR Code payments, Pagamento Web, international card acceptance (Visa/MasterCard/AmEx in 210+ countries), PKIda SISP digital certificates, and 24/7 HDI-certified support.

Revenue is generated transactionally through EFT and check-clearing fees paid by credit institutions, Banco de Cabo Verde, and the Treasury; transaction-based service fees on the vinti4 network (72M+ transactions/year worth 82 billion escudos); card production and personalization; PKI certificate subscriptions; SWIFT Service Bureau messaging fees; and ATM/POS managed services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. No public revenue figures are reported; annual reports are referenced as available on sisp.cv but no specific values are extracted from the input data.

Name

SISP

Legal name

Sociedade Interbancária e Sistemas de Pagamentos

Website

https://sisp.cv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SISP is the mandated operator of Cape Verde's national electronic payment infrastructure, running the vinti4 ATM and POS network, EFT and check clearing, card production, ICP-CV digital certificates, and a SWIFT Service Bureau for the country's banks and 434,000+ cardholders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Payment Infrastructure

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Payments Operations (ACH/Wire/RTGS, SWIFT, SEPA, Checks) (FSABALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Integrated Payment Processors (PSP/Acquirer) (FSAMABAA)

Keywords

• Interbank payment processing
• Electronic funds transfer
• EMV card production
• PKI digital certification
• SWIFT service bureau

Headquarters

HQ city

Praia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Interbank EFT clearing and settlement fees: Revenue from operating the national Electronic Funds Transfer system that processes credit institution, Banco de Cabo Verde, Treasury, and SISP's own interbank transfers; described as the system that clears the largest financial volume processed by SISP.
2. Automated Check Clearing processing fees: Fees earned from credit institutions, Treasury, and Banco de Cabo Verde for image-based interbank check clearing and communication services.
3. vinti4 network transaction-based service fees: Revenue from operating the vinti4 network of 250+ ATMs and 15,226+ POS terminals processing 72 million+ transactions per year, plus mobile and internet payment services.
4. Card production and personalization services: Revenue from the Visa- and MasterCard-certified Card Production Center that personalizes EMV chip and magnetic stripe cards at up to 1,400 cards per hour for banks, offered at competitive prices with fast delivery.
5. Digital certificate issuance (PKI): Revenue from issuing advanced and qualified digital certificates (individual, quality representation, identification/authentication, time stamp, SSL) as Cape Verde's first nationally managed certification authority under ICP-CV.
6. SWIFT Service Bureau messaging fees: Revenue from licensed SWIFT Service Bureau operations (one of seven in Africa) facilitating secure international interbank financial messaging and transfers for Cape Verdean banks.
7. ATM and POS installation/maintenance services: Revenue from the Hardware Maintenance Center providing installation, monitoring, and maintenance of ATMs and POS terminals across the vinti4 network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SISP operates Cape Verde's national interbank payment infrastructure under the vinti4 brand, providing electronic funds transfer, automated check clearing, EMV card production, PKI digital certificates (ICP-CV), and SWIFT Service Bureau services to credit institutions. The company also enables consumer transactions through a network of 250+ ATMs and 15,000+ POS terminals, and issues the vinti4 debit/credit card scheme accepted in 210+ countries.

Product overview

SISP operates an integrated national payment-infrastructure platform built around its vinti4 network as the core product, with several specialized modules and operational units attached to it. The vinti4 network — comprising the vinti4 card, 250 ATMs, and 15,226 POS terminals — is the customer-facing core, on top of which SISP layers complementary systems including the TEF (Electronic Funds Transfer) system, Automated Check Clearing, the Visa/MasterCard/AmEx acceptance service, QR Code Payments, Pagamento Web, Televinti4 mobile access, and PKIda SISP digital certificates (PKI). Internally, SISP runs a Card Production Center (Visa/MasterCard-certified), an HDI-certified Support Center, a Maintenance Center for ATMs and POSs, and a Development Center that builds and integrates solutions for Cape Verdean banks, plus SWIFT Service Bureau operations for international transfers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• vinti4: National interbank network brand offering debit cards, ATMs (vinti4 ATMs), POS terminals, and electronic payment services across Cape Verde with more than 441,000 users.
• Televinti4
• SISP SWIFT Service Bureau
• PKIda SISP

Products and services

• vinti4 National Payment Network National interbank switching network and card scheme operated by SISP that interconnects all Cape Verdean banks, processes domestic payment transactions, and issues vinti4-branded debit and credit cards accepted internationally through Visa, MasterCard, and American Express networks.
• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Real-time interbank funds transfer platform that allows Cape Verdean banks and credit institutions to move funds between accounts at different institutions through SISP's centralized switching infrastructure.
• Automated Check Clearing (CCE) Automated centralized check clearing system that processes interbank checks in Cape Verde through electronic image-based presentment, replacing physical check clearing workflows.
• Card Production Center EMV-certified card personalization and production facility that produces payment cards for Cape Verdean banks at a capacity of approximately 1,400 cards per hour, certified by Visa and MasterCard.
• ICP-CV Certification Authority (PKI) National PKI digital certification authority issuing qualified digital certificates (ICP-CV) for electronic signatures and trusted digital identity, with Adobe AATL trust and HDI-certified support.
• SWIFT Service Bureau SWIFT Service Bureau operations providing international financial messaging connectivity for Cape Verdean banks and credit institutions, enabling cross-border payment and correspondent banking traffic.
• Televinti4 Mobile Payments Mobile payment service allowing Cape Verdean bank customers to perform account-based transactions and transfers via mobile phone.
• QR Code Payments QR code payment infrastructure enabling merchants and consumers in Cape Verde to initiate and accept payments using QR codes at point of sale.
• Pagamento Web Web-based online payment gateway service for Cape Verdean e-commerce and online bill payment use cases.
• HDI-Certified Support Center HDI-certified customer support and service desk operations providing technical and operational support for Cape Verdean banks, merchants, and cardholders using SISP payment infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processes approximately 72 million transactions per year, valued at 82 billion escudos
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and strategic.

• Visa InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisa International membership with acceptance on the vinti4 network since 2004. The Card Production Center is certified by Visa to personalize VISA-branded cards. Acceptance covers 210+ countries.
• MasterCardflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMasterCard accepted on all vinti4 ATMs in July 2008 and all POSs in October 2008. The Card Production Center is certified by MasterCard to personalize MasterCard-branded cards. Acceptance covers 210+ countries.
• American ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican Express card acceptance on the vinti4 network, supporting tourism, emigrant and foreign-operator flows in Cape Verde; acceptance in 210+ countries.
• SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication)flagshipTechnology or IntegrationSWIFT Service Bureau license; SISP is one of seven such representatives on the African continent. Provides secure and standardized international interbank financial messaging infrastructure for Cape Verdean banks.
• HelpDesk Institute (HDI)coreTechnology or IntegrationIn October 2019, SISP's Support Center became the first African Support Center certified by HDI, attesting to its commitment to excellence, efficiency and quality of service based on a globally recognized industry standard.
• Registos, Notariado e Identificação (RNI) of Cape VerdecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISP is the technological partner of the RNI services for the launch of electronic signature, enabling notaries and registry officers to sign documents and notarial acts in fully dematerialized form using SISP's PKI infrastructure under ICP-CV.
• Adobe (Adobe Approved Trust List)coreTechnology or IntegrationAdobe international recognition of SISP's PKI infrastructure (4th entity on the African continent, only national-level entity), placing SISP on Adobe's restricted trust list so PDF documents signed via SISP-issued certificates are automatically recognized by Adobe Reader worldwide.
• Cape Verde Root Certification Entity (ECRCV / ICP-CV)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSISP operates as a Certification Authority under the ICP-CV – Public Key Infrastructure of Cape Verde, accredited by the national authorities and fully managed in national territory.
• International card networks (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) member banks in 210+ countriesstrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThrough Visa, MasterCard and American Express acceptance, vinti4 cards can be used at millions of locations across 210+ countries and VISA/MasterCard/Amex cards are accepted across Cape Verde's vinti4 ATM and POS network.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Interswitch: Nigerian pan-African payment switch and digital infrastructure operator offering card issuance (Verve), switching, processing, and digital services across multiple African markets. Closest peer to SISP in business model, combining national-scale switching with card and value-added services.
• Network International: UAE-headquartered payment processor operating across MENA and Africa, providing merchant acquiring, card processing, and switching services to banks. Comparable to SISP as a payment infrastructure intermediary serving banks in emerging markets.
• BPC (Banking Processing Centre): Switzerland-headquartered payments technology provider with deep African footprint, supplying national switches, EFT, ATM/POS management, and digital banking platforms. Directly comparable to SISP's role as a national switching and EFT operator.

Broad incumbents

• ACI Worldwide: Global real-time payments software and services provider whose Universal Payments platform competes with SISP's in-house EFT and switching stack at the broader financial-infrastructure level. Relevant as both potential partner and competitor for national switch modernization.
• Temenos: Swiss banking software provider with strong presence across African and emerging-market banks. Comparable to SISP as the technology backbone many Cape Verdean-style national banking systems run on, though at the core banking layer rather than payments.
• FIS (Fidelity National Information Services): Global financial technology provider offering payment processing, card issuing, and switching solutions to banks worldwide. Comparable at the global incumbency level for the same categories of services SISP delivers domestically in Cape Verde.
• Worldline: European-headquartered global payment processor providing merchant acquiring, card issuing, and digital payment services. Comparable at the broad payments-infrastructure level as a potential partner or competitor for any international expansion of SISP's services.

Emerging players

• Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa): Pan-African cross-border payments hub connecting mobile wallets, banks, and money operators across 40+ African countries. Comparable to SISP as a payments network operator, though focused on cross-border/mobile rather than domestic switching.
• DPO Group (PayU Africa): African online payment gateway and processor active across multiple African markets. Comparable to SISP's merchant payment-acceptance role, though focused on e-commerce rather than physical POS infrastructure.

Regional players

• PayGate (DigiCo): South African payment gateway and processor serving banks and merchants primarily in the Southern African market. Comparable to SISP's merchant-processing function though focused on a different geography; useful regional benchmark for African payment processor scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjVxXDyd0oYes0QW63m5B5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/sispcv
• Instagraminstagram.com/sispcv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sisp-cv

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 SISP