The authorisation will enable Upperlink to connect businesses and institutions to the NRS Merchant Buyer Solution (MBS) framework, support real-time invoice validation, secure transmission, and compliant digital tax reporting in line with the new national e-invoicing regime.

Mr. Olusegun Akano, the managing director of Upperlink, said the company’s authorisation as a System Integrator reflects its long-standing strength in enterprise technology, digital infrastructure, and nationally scaled service delivery.

The company has built a reputation as one of Nigeria’s premier indigenous technology firms.

‘’We have delivered secure, scalable, and easy-to-use platforms for business, government, financial services, and digital transformation initiatives. We are licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] as a Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP) and operate as an aggregator to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS). This underscores our depth in regulated payment infrastructure and transaction technology. We are the first ICANN-accredited registrar in Nigeria. This is our additional capability in digital infrastructure and cloud-related services’’, Mr. Akano explained.

He added that Upperlink has developed payments and enterprise solutions such as Upperlink Paygate, which aggregates payments across major card schemes, and account-to-account channels and robust treasury systems that support efficient financial control for large corporations and various state governments in Nigeria. These capabilities reinforce the company’s readiness to support large-scale invoicing, reconciliation, and compliance workflows required under the NRS e-Invoicing regime.

Upperlink’s achievements cut across major public sector and social-impact programmes delivered at scale across Nigeria.

For instance, Mr. Akano explained that in the AGILE Project, which is a five-year Federal Government initiative supported by the World Bank, the company provided technical support to some States through a secure portal for beneficiary registration, digital identity capture, database creation, and payment management in partnership with Banks.

Furthermore, Mr. Opeyemi Oni, the chief marketing officer, shed light on the NRS’s Mandate. He said the NRS approval has strengthened Upperlink’s commitment to ‘‘helping Nigerian businesses comply seamlessly with the new e-Invoicing framework while reducing operational friction, improving transparency, and enabling trusted digital record keeping across the eco system’’.

This development comes at a critical time in Nigeria’s tax digitisation journey. The NRS has confirmed a phased rollout of e-Invoicing across large, medium, and emerging taxpayers, with mandatory onboarding windows tied to annual turnover bands above ₦5 billion, between ₦1 billion and ₦5 billion, and below ₦1 billion.

Businesses are expected to integrate their invoicing or accounting processes with the NRS-approved framework and ensure real-time issuance, validation, and submission of invoices through authorised channels from their go-live dates.

As a System Integrator, Upperlink would design, deploy, integrate, and support invoicing compliant systems for organisations,

‘’That need to connect with the national e-Invoicing infrastructure. This includes support for businesses with existing enterprise systems as well as organisations that require middleware or portal-based solutions to meet the new compliance obligations. With the NRS authorisation, Upperlink is positioned to work with corporates, institutions, financial service providers, and public-sector organisations seeking reliable integration support as Nigeria expands the scope of mandatory e-Invoicing nationwide’’, Oni said.

Upperlink Limited is a Nigerian technology company focused on enterprise solutions, payment infrastructure, digital platforms, and e-government services. The company is licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a Payment Solution Service Provider (PSSP), Payment Terminal Service Provider (PTSP), and Super-Agent, aggregates payment services through NIBSS, and provides products spanning payments, treasury automation, education management, cloud services, and digital business infrastructure. Upperlink has also delivered nationally scaled technology projects across government and development programmes, including work connected to AGILE and humanitarian cash grant distribution initiatives across multiple Nigerian states.

Established in 1997, Unified Payments has consistently demonstrated a commitment to innovation, excellence, growth, and customer satisfaction throughout its remarkable journey.

Over the past 26 years, Unified Payments has transformed the landscape of the payment industry by providing cutting-edge solutions that empower businesses and individuals to transact seamlessly, securely, and conveniently. With a strong emphasis on technology, user experience, and reliability, Unified Payments has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in the Fintech and payment space.

A statement signed by Dr. Agada Apochi, the Managing Director, said the company has made significant progress by setting the records for many firsts in the e-payment sector.

Among many firsts, Unified Payments pioneered the issuance and acceptance of EMV Chip+PIN cards in Nigeria, which led to a reduction of card fraud in Nigeria by over 95%, enabled Nigerian banks to issue first-ever payment cards to Naira account holders for use globally; introduced the first-ever acceptance of foreign cards at ATMs, a joint acquiring company for Nigerian banks.

The company was also the first, EMV third party processor in Nigeria, first processor in Sub-Saharan Africa to process payment or withdrawal with just phone number. First Nigerian principal member of a global payment scheme. Unified Payment also pioneered multi-bank mobile application and USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) and the use of telephone numbers as digital account numbers.

According to Apochi, “At Unified Payments (UP), “we are very proud of what we have built; thanks to our esteemed customers and the dedicated staff at Unified Payments.

“Our journey over the past 26 years has been a testament to the grit, dedication, and vision of our entire team. We are not resting on our oars. Our resolve to continue to drive innovation, simplified payments solutions and delivering unparalleled value to our customers remains unwavering.

“Our strategy has been defined by cross-enterprise alliances, working with different stakeholders including our competitors to create a bigger market thereby increasing the opportunities for different stakeholders. We remain committed to our customers’ needs and adapting to the market demands to ensure Nigerians continue to enjoy seamless payment solutions using our platforms”

Unified Payments has consistently led the way in leveraging technology to provide secure, seamless, and efficient payment experiences. With a diverse range of offerings, including Acquiring, Issuer processing, Acquirer processing, Payment Terminal Service Provider (PTSP), Switching, Interbank transfer services, Settlement services, Agency Banking, Online payment gateways, Card services, Value Added Services (VAS) and Solutions, Verification services, Pay with Just Phone Number services, Bespoke services, etc., Unified Payments is dedicated to continuously shape the future of payments.

Unified Payment Services Limited is a group of companies with services including Financial Technology, Payment Scheme, Banking, Digital Commerce, Value Added Service, Payment Solutions, and Software Solutions.