UnionPay, Interswitch partner on payment digitization in Africa

UnionPay International (UPI) and Interswitch have announced their partnership, confirming Interswitch as a Third-Party Service Provider (TPSP) for UnionPay International in East Africa. The partnership supports the vision and mission that enables further payment digitization across the continent, allowing cardholders and merchants within the region to transact seamlessly and conveniently across various platforms on the global UPI network.

The agreement with Interswitch will facilitate UnionPay card acceptance across ATMs, Points-of-Sale, QR Payments and online payments, thereby consolidating the existing partnership with Interswitch in West Africa and helping to drive wider acceptance on the continent. These initiatives will ultimately enhance the current payment landscape and in turn, improve the lives of the mass markets in Africa.

“UPI and Interswitch East Africa (Kenya) Limited share a mission to provide convenient and secure payment solutions across Africa, and this partnership continues our work to broaden acceptance to cardholders transacting across the region”, said Romana Rajput, Country General Manager, Kenya for Interswitch East Africa. Mitchell Elegbe, Interswitch Group Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated that the new licensing agreement reinforced Interswitch’s focus on achieving broad acceptance.

He stated: “We are delighted to expand our existing partnership with UPI, this time to East Africa.” Also commenting Luping Zhang, General Manager of UnionPay International Africa Branch, stated: “The region presents great opportunity following significant transformation in recent years with the rapidly increasing adoption of digital technologies.

This new agreement is aligned with our vision to make payments a seamless part of everyday life in Africa, and we look forward to consolidating our relationship with the UPI team. This is indeed another milestone for Africa”.

SOURCE: VANGUARD