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.

The strategic move further strengthens 18-year partnership between the two technology titans and has enabled Unified Payments to become the first institution to achieve 3DS2.2 certification that supports first-in-kind secure and seamless payment options.

Unified Payments’ clients will now be able to introduce a range of new, convenient and secure payment methods including Pay-with-phone-number, phone-number-on-file and pay-by-link.

Unified Payment’s mission is to become Africa’s dominant and world-class e-payment service provider by leveraging the most advanced technologies available.

To maintain its leadership position in the market, the Fintech giant, needed to migrate its existing payment gateway to a solution that would enable it to achieve 3DS2.2 certification in the shortest time frame possible and provide enhanced payment experiences through secure omnichannel payment platforms that also allows for quick adaptation to changing consumer preferences.

Speaking on this great feat, Dr. Agada Apochi, Managing Director, UP commented, thus:

“We are delighted to have successfully migrated our payment gateway to the latest technologies, working with Compass Plus, “This makes us the first institution in Nigeria to enable certain payment options including pay-with-phone number on 3DS2.2 compliant standard, ensuring we deliver the smoothest and most secure payment experiences possible. It also puts us in the perfect position to introduce a range of new payment methods to our customers, solidifying our commitment to leading in Africa’s digital payment innovations.

“We are proud to have supported Unified Payments to become 3DS2.2 compliant institution in Nigeria and the first to achieve certain payment options,” said Rustam Bagautdinov, Key Account Manager at Compass Plus Technologies. “Over the years, we have worked with UP on a range of projects to help them drive innovation in the African payments industry, and it’s always a pleasure to work with such a forward-thinking company. We look forward to further supporting their business and other innovative projects in the future.”