What Premier Switch Solutions does

Premier Switch Solutions S.C (PSS) is an Ethiopian third-party payment processor and financial technology company operating a multi-institution shared-switch infrastructure. Founded in 2009 by three private Ethiopian banks (Awash Bank, Nib International Bank, and Hibret Bank) and operational since July 5, 2012, PSS is now jointly owned by six private commercial banks, with Berhan International Bank, Addis International Bank, and Cooperative Bank of Oromia joining later. The company was established specifically to amortize the high fixed cost of modern payment platforms across its member banks and to deliver electronic payment services through a shared system.

PSS's core product set spans transaction processing and clearing, ATM and POS driving and management, card personalization (EMV and magnetic stripe), international card issuing and acquiring across Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB, and DCI schemes, an e-commerce platform, Mastercard Payment Gateway Services (MPGS), and a 24/7 Network Operation Centre (NOC). The platform is connected to Ethiopia's national switch (Ethswitch) since 2016, supports on-us and inter-PSS-off-us transactions, and integrates with member banks' Core Banking Systems for card file management. The company's most recent product additions include Ethiopia's first locally certified EMV 3-D Secure 2.2 Access Control Server (launched August 2025 with Mastercard) and Visa-Approved Vendor status for Card Personalization (July 2025), covering over 8.1 million cards delivered.

PSS earns revenue through transaction fees on payment processing, professional services for card personalization and training/consultancy, and hardware and software resale through partnerships with Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) and Castel Technology. Go-to-market is exclusively B2B through direct service agreements with its six member banks, with no direct-to-consumer distribution. PSS is the first Third Party Payment Processor certified by the National Bank of Ethiopia and holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification for 10 consecutive years (independently assessed by Control Case, valid through July 8, 2026). CEO Amha Tadesse leads the company, which is headquartered in Addis Ababa and operates with 51-100 employees.

Name

Premier Switch Solutions

Legal name

Premier Switch Solutions S.C

Website

https://psseth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Premier Switch Solutions S.C is Ethiopia's first NBE-certified third-party payment processor, jointly owned by six private banks, operating a shared-switch infrastructure for ATM/POS processing, card personalization, international card issuing/acquiring, and payment gateway services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payment Processing Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Processor Back-End & Switch Providers (Issuer/Acquirer Processing Infrastructure) (FSAMABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated POS Payments (ISVs & Vertical POS Platforms) (FSAMADAD), Instant Payment Scheme Connectivity & Processing (e.g., FedNow, SEPA Instant, Faster Payments) (FSAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Payment processing services
• Card switching infrastructure
• ATM POS management
• Card personalization
• Transaction processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Payment Processing Services: Transaction processing and clearing services for member banks, managing ATM withdrawals, balance inquiries, purchases, cash advances, transfers, and mini-statements for both local and international card transactions.
2. Card Personalization Services: EMV and magnetic card personalization services for financial institutions including chip card personalization, card encoding, embossing, and secured delivery.
3. Payment Products Trading: Trading of payment products including payment cards, POS terminals, IT infrastructure, software solutions, and training/consultancy services in partnership with G+D and Castel Technology.
4. Training and Consultancy: Training and consultancy services for member banks including operational setup, personnel training, product design, implementation, and merchant training.
5. E-commerce Platform Services: E-commerce platform solutions for merchants to accept internet payments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Premier Switch Solutions S.C (PSS) is a third-party payment processor operating a multi-institution shared-switch infrastructure for Ethiopian banks. It provides electronic payment services including ATM/POS management, card personalization, transaction processing and clearing, e-commerce and payment gateway (MPGS) services, and 24/7 network operations to its six member banks. The company was the first Third Party Payment Processor certified by the National Bank of Ethiopia and is certified by Visa, MasterCard, and UnionPay.

Product overview

Premier Switch Solutions (PSS) is a third-party payment processor and financial technology company operating a multi-institution shared-switch infrastructure. The company offers a comprehensive payment ecosystem comprising core transaction processing services (ATM driving, POS driving, transaction processing, e-commerce, MPGS gateway), card services (personalization, issuing, acquiring, specialty cards), and operational support (Network Operation Centre, customer support, training). All services are certified by Visa, MasterCard, and Union Pay, with PSS being Ethiopia's first third-party payment processor certified by the National Bank of Ethiopia. The platform connects six member banks (Awash Bank, Nib International Bank, Hibret Bank, Berhan International Bank, Addis International Bank, and Cooperative Bank of Oromia) through a shared infrastructure designed to reduce individual bank investment costs while delivering electronic payment services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ATM Driving and Management Comprehensive ATM driving and management services for member banks including configuration, installation, and online monitoring of ATM activities with SMS-based alerts. Supports bill payment, money send, fund transfer, PIN change, cash deposit, check deposit, and cash withdrawal transactions.
• POS Driving and Management Complete POS payment gateway solution enabling merchants to authorize debit, credit, or prepaid cards. Includes configuration, installation, merchant application processing, activity monitoring, and 24/7 technical support. Supports cash back, purchase, cash advance, pre-auth, refund, balance inquiry, cash deposit, fund transfer, top-up, bill payment, and loyalty redemption.
• Network Operation Centre (NOC) 24x7 network operations center providing constant monitoring of system operations, VAP and MIP networks, all ATMs on the network, and regional concentrators.
• Card Personalization EMV smart card and magnetic card personalization service for financial institutions, compliant with highest security standards. Delivers chip card personalization, card encoding and embossing, and secured card delivery. PSS is Ethiopia's first Visa-Approved Vendor for Card Personalization.
• International Card Acquiring Accredited system to accept international card schemes including Visa, MasterCard, and China Union Pay, processing transactions on POS and ATM terminals. First company to acquire DCI (Diners Club International) and JCB (Japan Credit Bureau) card transactions in Ethiopia.
• International Card Issuing MasterCard issuing service enabling member banks to issue co-branded MasterCards for customers who travel abroad.
• Transaction Processing Manages local and international card transactions including ATM withdrawals, balance inquiries, purchases, cash advances, transfers, and mini-statements. Handles on-us and inter-PSS-off-us transactions and manages clearing and settlement of both local and international transactions.
• E-commerce Platform Complete e-commerce platform solution enabling merchants to accept payments over the internet with state-of-the-art technology.
• MPGS (Mastercard Payment Gateway Services) Payment gateway enabling merchants to accept local and international payments from MasterCard, Visa, China Union Pay, DCI, and JCB card schemes.
• Training and Consultancy Assists member banks with initial system setup and routine payment technology operations, including setting up complete operations units, training personnel, product design and implementation, and merchant training.
• Trading of Payment Products Trading of financial payment products including payment cards, POS terminals, IT infrastructure, and software solutions in partnership with G+D and Castel Technology. POS terminals feature remote update capability, secure key management, and Visa-certified applications.
• EMV 3-D Secure (3DS) 2.2 Authentication Solution Authentication solution aligned with EMV 3-D Secure 2.2 standards that enhances online payment security and enables real-time fraud prevention for e-commerce transactions.
• Specialty Cards (Prepaid, Women, Student, Co-branded) Specialized card programs including prepaid cards (reloadable, including gift cards), women cards with reduced interest rates and discounts, student cards for college students, and co-branded cards partnered with merchants for expanded reach.
• Credit Card Credit card services provided to member bank customers through PSS's shared payment infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8.1 million+ cards personalized and delivered across Ethiopia
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• MastercardflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2025In August 2025, PSS partnered with Mastercard to launch Ethiopia's first locally certified Access Control Server (ACS) aligned with EMV 3-D Secure 2.2 standards. This advanced authentication solution enhances online payment security and aligns Ethiopia's payments ecosystem with global security standards, supporting the country's 'Digital Ethiopia 2025' strategy. Four member banks were already onboarded at launch.
• VisaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025PSS became Ethiopia's first Visa-Approved Vendor for Card Personalization following extensive due diligence and on-site inspection. The certification enables PSS to deliver end-to-end PCI-compliant personalization, data preparation, and fulfillment services for Visa-branded payment cards. Over 8.1 million cards have been personalized and delivered across Ethiopia.
• S2M WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2024PSS and S2M Worldwide forged a strategic alliance to revolutionize digital payments in Ethiopia by renewing their long-standing partnership. The alliance focuses on advancing payment technology and services for Ethiopian financial institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Cellulant: African digital payments platform providing payment processing, collections, and disbursements for banks and merchants across Africa. Comparable to PSS in providing B2B payment infrastructure serving financial institutions, though Cellulant operates at a broader Pan-African scale.
• Flutterwave: Africa-focused payment infrastructure platform providing payment processing, gateway, and API services to merchants and banks across the continent. Comparable to PSS in enabling electronic payment infrastructure, though more merchant-direct than bank-direct.
• MFS Africa (Onafriq): Pan-African payments company enabling cross-border and domestic mobile-money and bank payment processing. Comparable to PSS in operating payments infrastructure for African financial institutions, but more focused on cross-border and mobile-money interoperability.

Direct peers

• Network International: UAE-headquartered payments processor serving banks across the Middle East and Africa with switching, card issuing/acquiring, and merchant acquiring. Comparable to PSS in offering shared payment infrastructure to financial institutions and serving emerging markets.
• Interswitch: Africa's largest integrated payments and commerce platform operating switch, processing, card issuance, and payment gateway services across multiple countries. Highly comparable to PSS as a multi-institution payments switch and processor in an emerging African market.

Regional players

• DPO Group (Direct Pay Online): Pan-African payment service provider offering merchant acquiring and payment processing across multiple African markets. Comparable to PSS in providing payment-processing infrastructure across diverse African banking ecosystems, but operates across multiple countries rather than one.
• PayGate: South African payment processor offering card acquiring, payment gateway, and switching services. Comparable to PSS as a payment processor serving banks in an African market with shared infrastructure model, though geographically focused on South Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Visa (as scheme/partner): Global card scheme that has certified PSS as Ethiopia's first Visa-Approved Vendor for card personalization and operates the rails PSS routes over. Comparable in that Visa owns the scheme certification regime PSS depends on, while PSS specializes in Ethiopia's implementation of Visa-standard services.
• Mastercard (as scheme/partner): Global card network and technology provider whose payment gateway (MPGS) and EMV 3DS services PSS integrates with and has partnered for issuing and ACS. Comparable in that Mastercard offers overlapping issuing/acquiring and authentication services that PSS is integrated into rather than compete with directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pssethcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/premierswitchsolutions

Compliance5 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 Premier Switch Solutions