iPay Africa
iPay Africa is a Ghana-based payment gateway founded in 2017 that lets merchants accept mobile money, Visa/MasterCard, and QR payments through a single account, serving 5,000+ SMBs and individuals via plugins, API, and a PayPoint agent network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersAccra, Ghana
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What iPay Africa does
iPay Africa (legally iPay Solutions Limited) is a Ghana-based payment gateway processor founded in 2017 and headquartered in Accra. The company operates a unified payment aggregation platform that lets merchants accept mobile money from all three Ghanaian networks (MTN, AirtelTigo, Vodafone Cash), Visa and MasterCard, and Ghana QR through a single merchant account. Underlying technology is a redirect-based REST API gateway (manage.ipaygh.com/gateway/checkout) with merchant-key authentication, hosted online checkout widgets, no-code payment links, USSD-based mobile POS, and official plugins for Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, and Magento, plus a merchant dashboard for reporting and bulk SMS.
The business makes money primarily through per-transaction fees structured in three tiers: Basic (1.9% + GHS 0.50), Standard (2.5% + GHS 0.50) for registered businesses, and Enterprise (3.5% + GHS 0.50) for businesses accepting international cards. Additional revenue comes from PayPoint commissions on airtime, utility, and internet-bundle resales (4% on airtime/internet, 1% on DSTV/GOTV, 50% of transaction fee on ECG/Ghana Water), payout/send-money fees, bulk SMS at GHS 0.032 per message, and one-off card reader setup fees. Distribution is product-led self-serve with API-first developer integration and channel partnerships via ecommerce plugins. The company claims 5,000+ merchants and partners in Ghana and lists customers including Ecobank, Vodafone Ghana, African-Regent Hotel, DevTraco, JoyFM, Diana Hamilton Ministries, and Harvest Praise, with a notable footprint in event ticketing and SMB retail. No external funding rounds, parent company, or management team are disclosed in the source data. The website currently displays a notice of 'Temporal Suspension of New Signups.'
iPay Africa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- iPay Africa
- Legal name
- iPay Solutions Limited
- Website
- https://ipaygh.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- iPay Africa is a Ghana-based payment gateway founded in 2017 that lets merchants accept mobile money, Visa/MasterCard, and QR payments through a single account, serving 5,000+ SMBs and individuals via plugins, API, and a PayPoint agent network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
iPay Africa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Gateway
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) Enablement (BNPL, wallets, local methods) (FSAMACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) & Local Rails (ACH/SEPA/UPI, etc.) (CRAFALAG), A2A Checkout & Merchant Acceptance Solutions (FSAMAFAF), QR Code & Alternative In-Store Acceptance (QR, APMs) (FSAMADAH), Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms (BPAMAFAF)
Keywords
Where iPay Africa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Accra
- HQ country
- Ghana
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
iPay Africa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Transaction Fees: Percentage-based fees charged per successful payment transaction. Tiered pricing based on business plan: Basic (1.9% + GHS 0.50), Standard (2.5% + GHS 0.50), Enterprise (3.5% + GHS 0.50). Fees are paid by merchant on each successful transaction.
- PayPoint Commissions: Commission revenue from PayPoint agents offering value-added services including airtime top-ups (4%), internet bundles (4%), DSTV/GOTV (1%), ECG/Ghana Water (50% of transaction fee).
- Payout/Send Money Fees: Fees for transferring funds to mobile money and bank accounts: GHS 0.50 for transfers 0-50 GHS, 1% for 50-1000 GHS, GHS 10 flat for above 1000 GHS.
- SMS Services: Bulk SMS to customers for birthdays, discounts, and notifications at GHS 0.032 per message to all local networks.
- Card Reader Hardware: Setup fees for card reader/POS terminal for Standard plan merchants requiring physical card acceptance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Basic - For individuals, start-ups, freelancers, and unregistered businesses |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard - For growing businesses with registration documents and business bank accounts |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise - For businesses at scale or requiring international payments |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
iPay Africa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
iPay Africa operates a unified payment gateway platform that enables businesses and individuals in Ghana to accept mobile money (MTN, AirtelTigo, Vodafone Cash), Visa, Mastercard, and Ghana QR payments through a single account. The platform also offers merchant tools for inventory, customer loyalty, invoicing, bulk SMS, in-store mobile POS, event ticketing, and PayPoint agent services (airtime, utility bills).
Product overview
iPay is a Ghana-based payment platform offering a unified solution for businesses and individuals to accept payments, manage inventory, and handle customer loyalty programs. The core product portfolio centers on the iPay Online Payments Platform which unifies multiple payment channels (mobile money, cards, QR codes) into a single account. Key products include Online Checkout for website embedding, Payment Link for social commerce, Invoicing for remote billing, In-Shop/Offline Sales Channel for physical retail POS, PayPoint Services for value-added agent banking, and Ticketing for event management. The platform provides native integrations with major Ghanaian mobile money operators (MTN, AirtelTigo, Vodafone), card networks (VISA, MasterCard), and e-commerce platforms (WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento), along with a REST API gateway for custom integrations. The Business Dashboard provides centralized reporting and customer management tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- iPay Online Payments Platform Unified payment platform enabling businesses and individuals in Ghana to accept and make payments through mobile money (all Ghana networks), Visa, Mastercard, and Ghana QR from a single account, with inventory, customer loyalty, supplier payments, and bill payments included.
- Online Checkout Hosted checkout solution that generates HTML code for embedding payment buttons on websites, allowing merchants without technical knowledge to accept mobile money payments with minimal integration effort.
- Payment Link Shareable payment link solution for businesses without websites that generates a custom payment page which can be shared via social media, SMS, or email to receive payments instantly.
- Invoicing Digital invoicing tool that enables businesses to create and send invoices via SMS and email, with support for online and offline payment collection through mobile money and cards, including USSD (*920*50#) offline payment.
- In-Shop/Offline Sales Channel Mobile POS solution enabling businesses to accept mobile money, QR, and card payments in physical retail locations using any mobile device without requiring dedicated POS hardware.
- PayPoint Services Value-added service enabling merchants and agents to offer airtime top-ups, utility bill payments (DSTV, GOTV, ECG, Ghana Water), and internet bundle purchases to generate commission revenue.
- Ticketing Event ticketing solution for creating, selling, distributing, and tracking tickets for events, parties, concerts, movie tickets, and transportation services across online, mobile, and PayPoint outlets.
- iPay API Gateway REST API gateway allowing developers to embed payment processing into custom websites and mobile applications with support for MTN Mobile Money, AirtelTigo Money, Vodafone Cash, Visa, Mastercard, and QR payments, authenticated via merchant_key with IPN notifications.
- Business Dashboard Merchant dashboard providing real-time transaction reporting, sales analytics, customer insights, inventory management, and bulk SMS/email marketing capabilities for customer engagement.
- Bulk SMS and Disbursements Bulk messaging and payment disbursement service allowing merchants to send SMS notifications at GHS 0.032 per message and transfer funds to suppliers, employees, and utility bill payments (GHS 0.50 for 0-50 GHS, 1% for 50-1000 GHS, GHS 10 flat for above 1000 GHS).
Companies that use iPay Africa
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
iPay Africa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature8 records
iPay Africa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MTN Mobile MoneycoreCore payment channel integration enabling MTN Mobile Money payments through iPay gateway. MTN is a major mobile money provider in Ghana with significant market share.
- AirtelTigo MoneycoreCore payment channel integration enabling AirtelTigo Money payments through iPay gateway. Part of Bharti Airtel operations in Ghana.
- Vodafone CashcoreCore payment channel integration enabling Vodafone Cash payments through iPay gateway. Vodafone is a major telecom operator in Ghana.
- VisacoreCard payment processing through Visa network for Standard and Enterprise plans. Enables acceptance of Visa-branded debit and credit cards.
- MasterCardcoreCard payment processing through MasterCard network for Standard and Enterprise plans. Enables acceptance of MasterCard-branded debit and credit cards.
- ShopifycoreOfficial iPay app available on Shopify App Store enabling Shopify merchants in Ghana to integrate iPay checkout for mobile money and card payments.
- WooCommercecoreOfficial iPay Ghana plugin for WooCommerce available on WordPress plugin directory. Enables WordPress/WooCommerce merchants to accept iPay payments.
- WordPresscoreOfficial iPay Ghana plugin for WordPress available on WordPress plugin directory.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
iPay Africa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hubtel: Ghanaian payment gateway and merchant services provider offering mobile money, card, and USSD acceptance with a unified merchant dashboard. Direct competitor in the same Ghana market with overlapping SMB customer base and PayPoint-style agent services.
- Expresspay Ghana (formerly Slydepay): Ghanaian payment processor offering mobile money, card, and QR acceptance for online and in-store merchants. Direct domestic competitor with similar SMB and event-organizer customer base.
Broad incumbents
- Flutterwave: Pan-African payment gateway supporting cards, mobile money, and bank transfers across 30+ countries including Ghana. Operates at much larger scale with enterprise developer tooling and competes directly for Ghana's online merchants.
- Paystack: Nigerian payment gateway (acquired by Stripe) that has expanded into Ghana and other West African markets, offering card and mobile money acceptance with strong developer ecosystem. Larger, better-capitalized competitor in the same product category.
- MTN MoMo Pay / MTN MoMo API: MTN's own merchant payment platform built on top of MTN Mobile Money. As iPay's largest underlying supplier, MTN is also a structural competitor that could disintermediate aggregators by selling direct to merchants.
- Interswitch: Pan-African digital payments and commerce company operating across Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana. Provides payment gateway, card processing, and merchant services that overlap with iPay's offering.
- Cellulant: Pan-African payments platform offering Tingg, a payment gateway and merchant collection product covering mobile money and cards across multiple African markets. Broader geographic footprint but comparable product set.
- DPO Group (Network International): African payment gateway acquired by Network International, offering card and alternative payment method acceptance across multiple African countries. Competes for cross-border African online merchants.
Regional players
- Vodafone Cash (Vodafone Ghana): Vodafone Ghana's mobile money wallet and merchant acceptance product. iPay is both a partner (channel integration) and competitor in Ghana for mobile money acceptance, particularly for Vodafone's own merchant relationships.
- Peach Payments: Payment gateway primarily serving South Africa and Kenya with card and alternative payment method acceptance. Comparable product architecture (online checkout, plugins, developer API) but different geographic focus.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
iPay Africa social profiles
Digital presenceiPay Africa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
iPay Africa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
iPay Africa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
iPay Africa 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 iPay Africa
What does iPay Africa do?
iPay Africa operates a unified payment gateway platform that enables businesses and individuals in Ghana to accept mobile money (MTN, AirtelTigo, Vodafone Cash), Visa, Mastercard, and Ghana QR payments through a single account. The platform also offers merchant tools for inventory, customer loyalty, invoicing, bulk SMS, in-store mobile POS, event ticketing, and PayPoint agent services (airtime, utility bills).
Is iPay Africa a public or private company?
iPay Africa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was iPay Africa founded?
iPay Africa was founded in 2017.
Where is iPay Africa based?
iPay Africa is headquartered in Accra, Ghana, in the Africa region.
How does iPay Africa make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Transaction Fees are the primary driver. The others are payPoint Commissions, payout/Send Money Fees, SMS Services and card Reader Hardware.
Who are iPay Africa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hubtel and Expresspay Ghana (formerly Slydepay). Broad incumbents are Flutterwave, Paystack, MTN MoMo Pay / MTN MoMo API, Interswitch, Cellulant and DPO Group (Network International). Regional players are Vodafone Cash (Vodafone Ghana) and Peach Payments.
Does iPay Africa have an API?
Yes. iPay provides a REST API gateway for integrating payment processing into websites and mobile applications. The API allows merchants to initiate payment transactions, handle notifications via IPN (Instant Payment Notification), and check transaction status. Supports MTN Mobile Money, AirtelTigo Money, Vodafone Cash, VISA, and MasterCard. Authentication uses a unique merchant key assigned by iPay. The status check endpoint returns JSON with transaction details including status, buyer information, amount, and channel used. Developer documentation is at docs.ipaygh.com/integrating-ipay/integrating-ipay-payment-system/mobile-money-payments.
What industry is iPay Africa in?
iPay Africa's product category is Payment Gateway. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMACAE, Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) Enablement (BNPL, wallets, local methods), with a secondary code of CRAFALAG, Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) & Local Rails (ACH/SEPA/UPI, etc.).