UP (“Unified Payments”), Nigeria’s pioneer Payments & Financial Technology company and the Pan-African Payment & Settlement System (PAPSS) have announced a strategic partnership.
Under this partnership, Unified Payments is appointed as:
Processor of PAPSS co-branded cards under the recently launched PAPSSCARD, the first Pan-African card Scheme.
This enables banks and deposit-taking institutions to use the services of UP to issue PAPSS co-branded cards and also accept the cards at their outlets including Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and merchant locations.
Acquirer of PAPSSCARD for co-branded cards. This enables merchants who are customers of UP to welcome PAPSS co-branded cards as a means of payment for their goods and services.
A Switch for instant payments across Africa on the PAPSS network. This enables customers of banks and deposit-taking institutions who are clients of UP to send and receive instant payments across Africa
In demonstration of UP’s cross-enterprise alliances and capabilities, UP will be the first entity in Nigeria to enable merchants to accept co-branded cards under the PAPSSCARD scheme as means of payment for goods and services at merchants’ locations. This is in addition to enabling instant cross border transaction/fund transfers across Africa.
Unified Payments will accept PAPSSCARD across its networks under the terms of the partnership agreement.
Dr. Agada Apochi, managing director and CEO of UP Group, said that UP is delighted to contribute to the ease of doing business in Nigeria and across Africa through the partnership with PAPSS.
“This is a testament to the position of UP as a shared industry infrastructure and promoter of cross-enterprise alliances”, he said.
Mike Ogbalu, chief executive officer of the Pan-African Payment & Settlement System (PAPSS), expressed his enthusiasm regarding the recently established partnership with UP in Nigeria, an important market for Pan-African payments.
He also praised the collaborative efforts and outstanding achievements of the UP team in delivering a successful Proof of Concept exclusively for the Afreximbank Annual Meetings 2025 (AAM2025) in Abuja, Nigeria.
This initiative provided selected guests with the opportunity to experience the PAPSSCARD.
