dLocal, a leading cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, and Digit9, LuLu Financial Holdings’ payments orchestration platform, have announced a strategic partnership to enhance payout services in five African markets.
By combining local bank rails with other payment options, this partnership aims to increase efficiency in an area where remittance costs are still among the highest in the world.
This initiative, announced on Thursday, is expected to significantly impact financial accessibility and affordability.
Remittance fees in Africa average 8.5 per cent, almost three times higher than the UN’s suggested benchmark of 3 per cent.
This emphasises the need for more effective, locally integrated solutions. The partnership offers more payout options, speeds up delivery, and reduces processing layers through a single platform, all of which help close that gap.
dLocal, Digit9 to leverage each other’s experiences
dLocal and Digit9 hope to lessen systemic issues in the payout ecosystem by utilising one another’s experience. These difficulties include limited eWallet interoperability, sluggish processing, and fragmented infrastructure.
The collaboration will enable quicker delivery times and give recipients more flexibility through enhanced processing layers and increased payout options, ultimately resulting in a more dependable experience for individuals and businesses.
dLocal, Digit9’s dedication to innovation
The collaboration demonstrates businesses’ dedication to innovation and understanding of Africa’s enormous growth potential.
LuLu Financial Holdings’ VP of Business Transformation, Joseph Cleetus, stressed that the partnership aligns with their mission to deliver consistent payouts in various intricate markets.
“Africa is a key part of our growth strategy, and reaching it effectively means partnering with platforms that understand local dynamics,” said Joseph Cleetus, Vice President of Business Transformation at Lulu Financial Holdings.
“With dLocal, we’re able to offer our customers more dependable payouts in the markets that matter most—including key African countries, each with complex, diverse payment ecosystems and significant growth potential.”
The collaboration furthers dLocal’s continuous goal of creating payment solutions that accurately reflect the flow of money in various local contexts, guaranteeing inclusivity throughout the financial system.
Crucial step in changing remittance and payout landscape in Africa
The service expansion is an essential change in Africa’s remittance and payout landscape, even though the precise nations covered by this partnership have not yet been made public.
dLocal and Digit9 are fusing technology, local knowledge, and international experience to put themselves at the forefront of financial transformation in a continent that desperately needs accessible, effective, and reasonably priced payout solutions.
The integration helps Digit9 surpass common payout obstacles like limited eWallet interoperability and fragmented infrastructure.
Additionally, it improves the quality of services provided locally by facilitating recipients’ access to funds via their preferred channels.
“Digit9 understands the importance of local relevance in cross-border payments, especially across diverse and fast-growing markets like Africa,” said Agustín Botta, VP of Sales EMEA at dLocal.
“This collaboration is about building payout experiences that reflect how people move money, in ways that work for each local context.”
About dLocal
Local payments in emerging markets are powered by dLocal, which links billions of emerging market customers in APAC, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa with global enterprise merchants. With the “One dLocal” concept (one direct API, one platform, and one contract), international businesses can accept payments, make payouts, and settle funds worldwide without handling numerous local entities and integrations.
About Digit9
Digit9 is a platform for orchestrating cross-border payments designed to satisfy the various demands of financial institutions.
It simplifies the intricacies of cross-border payments by seamlessly integrating a variety of banks, service providers, and payment methods.
LuLu Money Singapore, a branch of the international financial giant LuLu Financial Holdings, manufactures Digit9.