On March 8, 2025, Access Bank, in collaboration with Visa, launched the "Tap to Phone" payment solution in Nigeria.
This innovative technology eliminates the necessity for conventional point-of-sale (PoS) terminals by enabling merchants to accept contactless payments directly on their NFC-enabled Android smartphones.
Read also: Nigerian government replaces Remita with new revenue platform
How Tap to Phone works
The Tap to Phone solution transforms an Android smartphone into a payment terminal, enabling merchants to receive Visa payments by simply tapping a card on their phone.
This process is facilitated by downloading an app onto the smartphone, making it easy for businesses to start accepting payments without additional hardware.
Access Bank notes that this move aligns with the growing adoption of contactless payment solutions across Africa, where similar systems have been introduced in countries like Kenya and South Africa.
In Kenya, Interswitch partnered with Tuma to launch a similar system in September 2024, while in Nigeria, Moniepoint and PalmPay have partnered with AfriGO to roll out five million contactless payment cards.
In South Africa, Visa's partnership with iKhokha facilitated businesses' acceptance of card payments through mobile devices, thereby improving sales and transaction history monitoring.
Read also: Citi, Visa, Cellulant launch payment tool for Kenyan SMEs
Impact on Nigeria's payment ecosystem
To encourage the adoption of a cashless economy, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has implemented guidelines and increased the transaction limits for contactless payments.
Access Bank's Tap to Phone initiative supports this goal by reducing cash dependency and enhancing financial inclusion. The success of this solution will largely depend on the rate of smartphone adoption among merchants, with estimates suggesting between 25 million and 40 million smartphone users in Nigeria as of 2023.
Access Bank has been at the forefront of contactless payment innovation for nearly a decade, launching PayWithCapture and partnering with Unified Payments for PayAttitude in 2015.
While challenges such as regulatory gaps and trust issues may arise, the increasing adoption of contactless solutions indicates a promising shift towards digital transactions in Nigeria.
As more merchants adopt Tap to Phone, transactions are expected to become more seamless and accessible, contributing to a more efficient payment ecosystem.
