The partnership enables instant 24/7 cross-border payments from PAPSS participants into banks and mobile money operators within the Pesalink network in Kenya, all settled in local currencies. This reduces complex correspondent banking requirements and reliance on foreign reserve currencies.

PAPSS, an initiative of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union and the AfCFTA Secretariat, enables cross-border payments between African countries.

Pesalink is now a Technical Connectivity Provider. It means that 80 plus Kenyan bank, fintech, SACCO and telco participants on the Pesalink network will be connected to 160 plus commercial banks and fintechs on the PAPSS platform.

Cross-border payments remain expensive and slow for many African businesses. The 2023 World Bank Remittance Prices report indicates that sending money across African borders incurs on average 7-8% of the total value sent (above the global average of 6–7%). Settlement can also take three to seven business days.

The Pesalink–PAPSS partnership will reduce costs, speed up settlements, and help individuals, SMEs and businesses send money more efficiently across borders.

Speaking during the partnership signing held at Pesalink offices in Nairobi, Mike Ogbalu III, PAPSS CEO said,

“For PAPSS to deliver true impact, collaboration with national and private switches like Pesalink is essential. Pesalink is the first switch we’ve piloted for transaction termination in Kenya, and we are already seeing greater adoption by opening more channels for seamless, local-currency cross-border payments across Africa.”

Gituku Kirika, Pesalink CEO, also commented thus:

“Kenyan banks will now be able to offer faster, cheaper cross-border payments. They will be helping their customers grow more regional trading relationships and thrive in a more integrated digital economy.”

With this milestone, UBA becomes the first financial institution to enable cross-border payments on a chatbot platform in Africa, enabling instant, seamless, and secure transactions in local currencies between African countries.

At the press conference announcing the official launch event which was held at the UBA Head Office, Lagos on Wednesday, the UBA and PAPPS took media men through the journey which had culminated in the partnership aimed at deepening intra-African trade, digitising and aiding seamless transactions across the continent.

UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, who welcomed the PAPPS team and the media practitioners, described the event as a momentous one for the bank and a significant leap in the realisation of intra-African trade.

Alawuba said;

“For us, this is what UBA is all about – connectivity and easing transactions. With PAPSS now fully integrated on our LEO platform, we are not just simplifying payments – we are breaking down the barriers to economic collaboration across African markets and allowing Africans to be able to transact using their own local currencies. This is aligned with our vision of being at the heart of Africa’s economic transformation, and so, I say, Now, Africa trade begins!”

He emphasised that as the future of Africa, lies with the youth, UBA as a bank continues to seek ways to support the youth to grow the economy, adding that the integration of PAPPS on the LEO Platform is one of such ways.

In his submission, Mike Ogbalu III, the chief executive officer, PAPPS, who commended UBA for being an excellent partner with Afreximbank and PAPPS on their Pan-African journey towards enabling trade on the continent, explained that UBA was one of the first financial institutions to enter into PAPPS.

Ogbalu said,

“Indeed, PAPPS has had an excellent run with UBA, which has now extended from carrying out these transactions from their branches to digital platforms and channels such as LEO. By this, customers can send and receive their monies within seconds. This of course has an accelerated impact on trade as there is now an interplay between convenience and seamless transacting.

“Before now, Africa intra-trade used to be very low and limited, but this product and service has come to address this and we are already seeing a lot of impact with this product,” he noted.

Shamsideen Fashola, UBA’s head, Retail and Digital Banking, explained that the innovation means UBA customers can now experience truly borderless banking on a platform they already trust.

“The recent deployment of PAPSS on our LEO Chatbanking platform is a bold step in that direction. With this, UBA becomes the First Bank in Africa to power cross-border payments through a chatbot, reinforcing our digital leadership and setting a new benchmark in financial services across the continent,” he said.

According to him, Early data already shows promising adoption, especially in the Ghana-Nigeria corridor, and the bank remains committed to deepening awareness and driving even more value for customers across our markets.

“This collaboration is a transformational move that simplifies payments, empowers traders, supports families, and unlocks economic potential in line our goals,” he added.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group wide and serving over 45 million customers globally.

Operating in twenty African countries and the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.