Digital PayGo
Digital PayGo is a Zambian fintech operating a unified payment aggregation gateway across Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money, Visa, and POS channels, and MAANO, a digital farmers' market with embedded financing and insurance for smallholder farmers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersLusaka, Zambia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Digital PayGo does
Digital PayGo, legally Digital Shared Services Limited (DSSL), is a Zambian fintech operating a unified payment aggregation platform that enables businesses to accept and disburse funds through a single API integration covering Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money, Visa, and POS channels. The company serves banks and financial institutions, SMEs, e-commerce businesses, agri-tech platforms, corporates, NGOs, and government institutions in Zambia, with self-described positioning as Zambia's #1 payment aggregator. Beyond payment processing, Digital PayGo operates MAANO, a virtual farmers market accessible via web, mobile application, and USSD (*277#) that connects smallholder farmers with buyers, cooperatives, and agri-businesses while embedding financing, insurance, and e-learning services.
The underlying technology is a payment aggregation gateway with multi-channel interoperability, complemented by USSD-based access for feature phone users and an API-first integration model documented at the company's integration portal. The platform supports transaction monitoring, AML/KYC compliance, automated settlements, and bulk/individual disbursements, with alignment to PCI DSS controls and Zambia's Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021.
Digital PayGo generates revenue primarily through transaction processing fees on payments routed through its gateway, with additional revenue from marketplace commissions on MAANO agricultural trades and from settlement and reporting services. The go-to-market combines API-first self-serve integration with an enterprise field sales motion and channel partnerships with mobile network operators, Zanaco, and institutional partners including WFP and FAO. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, operates with 11-50 employees from Lusaka, Zambia, and is led by Acting CEO Baruch Chikambata with a board chaired by Jane Doe.
Digital PayGo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Digital PayGo
- Legal name
- Digital Shared Services Limited
- Website
- https://digitalpaygo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Digital PayGo is a Zambian fintech operating a unified payment aggregation gateway across Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money, Visa, and POS channels, and MAANO, a digital farmers' market with embedded financing and insurance for smallholder farmers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Digital PayGo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Processing / Payment Aggregation
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management) (FSAMABAF), Payouts, Disbursements & Mass Payments Infrastructure (FSAGABAN), Marketplace & Platform Seller Payouts (FSAMAKAE)
Keywords
Where Digital PayGo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lusaka
- HQ country
- Zambia
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Digital PayGo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Fees: Digital PayGo charges transaction fees for processing payments across its gateway. As a payment aggregator, it earns a take rate or commission on each transaction processed through mobile money, Visa, and POS channels.
- Marketplace Commission (MAANO): MAANO virtual farmers market generates revenue through commissions on agricultural product trades executed on the platform. Financial institutions and insurers pay to offer products and services to farmers through the ecosystem.
- Settlement and Reporting Services: Automated settlement and transaction reporting services for merchants and financial institutions, including reconciliation and notification capabilities.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels4 records
Digital PayGo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Digital PayGo operates a unified payment gateway that enables businesses to accept and disburse payments through Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money, Visa cards, and POS devices via a single API integration. It also runs MAANO, a virtual farmers market connecting smallholder farmers, buyers, cooperatives, and agri-businesses with integrated digital payments, real-time price discovery, and access to financing, insurance, and e-learning. The platform is accessible via web, mobile application, and USSD (*277#).
Product overview
Digital PayGo operates as a unified platform-plus-products architecture consisting of two core offerings: the Payment Gateway (a multi-channel digital payments platform enabling businesses to accept and disburse funds via mobile money, Visa cards, POS devices, websites, and mobile applications through a single integration) and MAANO (a virtual farmers market connecting agricultural value chain participants for trading, financing, and e-learning). The Payment Gateway serves as the core transaction infrastructure while MAANO extends the platform into agricultural fintech services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MAANO: A digital marketplace connecting farmers, buyers, cooperatives, and agri-businesses for trading agricultural products with integrated digital payments. Available via web, mobile application, and USSD (*277#).
Products and services
- Payment Gateway A unified digital payments platform that enables businesses to collect and disburse funds seamlessly through a single integration. Accepts payments via mobile money (Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money), Visa cards, POS devices, websites, and mobile applications, and manages all transactions from one centralized platform with automated settlements and reporting. Targeted at banks, financial institutions, SMEs, e-commerce, corporates, NGOs, and government institutions.
- MAANO (Virtual Farmers Market) A digital marketplace connecting farmers, buyers, cooperatives, agri-businesses, and financial institutions. Enables trading of agricultural products, real-time market price discovery, competitive bidding, applications for financing and insurance, and access to e-learning resources. Accessible via web platform, mobile application, and USSD code *277#.
Quantifiable outcome
- Accepts and disburses payments through Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money, Visa, and other payment channels through a single integration.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Digital PayGo
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Digital PayGo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Digital PayGo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Airtel (Airtel Money)coreAirtel Money is integrated as a primary payment channel within the Digital PayGo gateway, enabling merchants to accept and disburse payments through Airtel's mobile money network in Zambia.
- MTN (MTN MoMo)coreMTN MoMo is integrated as a primary payment channel within the Digital PayGo gateway, enabling merchants to accept and disburse payments through MTN's mobile money network in Zambia.
- Zamtel (Zamtel Money)coreZamtel Money is integrated as a primary payment channel within the Digital PayGo gateway, enabling merchants to accept and disburse payments through Zamtel's mobile money network in Zambia.
- Zanaco (Zambia National Commercial Bank)coreZanaco is partnered with Digital PayGo as a payment channel partner, with its logo displayed prominently among trusted partners. Zanaco provides banking infrastructure supporting payment collections and disbursements.
- World Food Programme (WFP)majorWFP is listed as a trusted partner of Digital PayGo, with collaboration focused on digital payment solutions for food security and agricultural supply chain programmes in Zambia.
- FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization)majorFAO is listed as a trusted partner, with collaboration supporting agricultural marketplace development and digital inclusion initiatives for smallholder farmers through the MAANO platform.
- Financial Institutions on MAANOcoreBanks, microfinance institutions, SACCOs, insurance providers, and other financial service organizations partner with MAANO to offer financial products and services directly to farmers, buyers, and agri-businesses on the platform. Partners include agricultural financing, insurance, and microfinance providers integrated into the MAANO ecosystem.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Digital PayGo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Flutterwave: Pan-African payment gateway that aggregates multiple payment methods (cards, mobile money, bank transfers) for merchants via a single API. Directly comparable API-first aggregation model serving African businesses.
- Paystack: African online payment gateway (now Stripe-owned) that provides a unified API for card and alternative payment acceptance. Comparable in product (single API, multi-method acceptance) and target customer (African merchants and developers).
- Cellulant: African digital payments platform operating payment aggregation, merchant acquiring, and cross-border payment rails across multiple African countries. Comparable in payment aggregation and multi-rail integration.
- Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa): Pan-African mobile money aggregator connecting mobile wallets across multiple African markets. Closest comparable to Digital PayGo's multi-MNO aggregation model in Zambia, operating at broader geographic scale.
- DPO Group (now part of Network International): African payment gateway serving merchants across multiple African countries with multi-currency and multi-method acceptance. Comparable in aggregating payment methods behind a single merchant integration.
Broad incumbents
- Network International: Large payment processor serving Africa and the Middle East with merchant acquiring, processing, and digital payment solutions. Broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities to Digital PayGo's payment processing core.
- Interswitch: One of Africa's largest payment processors and digital commerce providers, offering card processing, switching, and merchant acquiring across multiple markets. Broader incumbent in the same category but with a much wider product portfolio.
Regional players
- Paymob: Egyptian payment gateway aggregator providing a single API for card, mobile wallet, and alternative payment acceptance. Comparable aggregator model but focused primarily on the North African market rather than Zambia.
Emerging players
- JUMO: African embedded finance platform distributing credit, savings, and insurance products via partners. Comparable in the embedded-finance / fintech-infrastructure category that Digital PayGo is pursuing through MAANO.
- Stitch: South African fintech building financial data and payment infrastructure for African businesses, including open finance and payment initiation APIs. Comparable as an emerging African fintech infrastructure player.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Digital PayGo social profiles
Digital presenceDigital PayGo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Digital PayGo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Digital PayGo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Digital PayGo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Digital PayGo 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 Digital PayGo
What does Digital PayGo do?
Digital PayGo operates a unified payment gateway that enables businesses to accept and disburse payments through Airtel Money, MTN MoMo, Zamtel Money, Visa cards, and POS devices via a single API integration. It also runs MAANO, a virtual farmers market connecting smallholder farmers, buyers, cooperatives, and agri-businesses with integrated digital payments, real-time price discovery, and access to financing, insurance, and e-learning. The platform is accessible via web, mobile application, and USSD (*277#).
Is Digital PayGo a public or private company?
Digital PayGo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Digital PayGo founded?
Digital PayGo was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Digital PayGo based?
Digital PayGo is headquartered in Lusaka, Zambia, in the Africa region.
How does Digital PayGo make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Payment Processing Fees are the primary driver. The others are marketplace Commission (MAANO) and settlement and Reporting Services.
Who are Digital PayGo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Flutterwave, Paystack, Cellulant, Onafriq (formerly MFS Africa) and DPO Group (now part of Network International). Broad incumbents are Network International and Interswitch. Paymob is listed as a regional player. Emerging players are JUMO and Stitch.
Does Digital PayGo have an API?
Yes. Digital PayGo offers a Payment Gateway API that enables businesses to collect and disburse payments through multiple channels including mobile money, Visa cards, POS devices, websites, and mobile applications. The integration process involves: Step 1 - Requesting access and receiving credentials, Step 2 - Reviewing integration documentation with API specifications, authentication requirements, request/response formats, and testing guidelines, Step 3 - Integrating APIs for payment collections, disbursements, transaction status checks, settlement reporting, and notifications, Step 4 - Testing all payment scenarios before going live, Step 5 - Activating account for production use after successful testing and approval. Developer documentation is at digitalpaygo.com/integration-docs.
What industry is Digital PayGo in?
Digital PayGo's product category is Payment Processing / Payment Aggregation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAE, Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure, with a secondary code of FSAMABAF, Marketplace / Platform Acquiring (PayFac & Sub-Merchant Management). Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6199.