Fincra, a UK-based fintech firm, has officially secured a Third-Party Payments Provider (TPPP) licence in South Africa as of Monday. This licence authorises Fincra to process various payment methods, including credit and debit card transactions, electronic funds transfers (EFTs), real-time clearing (RTC), and rapid payments.
This development marks a major milestone for Fincra’s expansion into Southern Africa and its broader vision of building an integrated African payment network.
Expanding payment infrastructure with local integration
With this new licence, Fincra can directly integrate with South Africa’s core payment systems and banking networks, including a strategic partnership with Nedbank.
This enables businesses using Fincra’s platform to benefit from faster settlement times, improved reliability, and full compliance with South African financial regulations.
Fincra can now offer end-to-end payment services from collections to settlements through numerous local payment rails, which is important for enterprises looking to operate or expand in the region without creating their financial infrastructure.
Fincra’s CEO and Co-founder, Ayowole Ayodele, emphasised the significance: “Securing the TPPP licence in South Africa is a step toward realising our mission to build the rails for an integrated Africa. It reinforces our commitment to building compliant, reliable infrastructure that powers cross-border trade at scale.”
This licence deepens Fincra’s operational footprint and signals growing regulatory confidence in emerging African fintech leaders.
Competitive edge in a crowded market
South Africa’s payment market is highly competitive, with established players like Yoco, Ozow, and Peach Payments. Fincra aims to differentiate itself through its API-driven infrastructure and cross-border payment capabilities, tailored to support e-commerce platforms, logistics providers, B2B marketplaces, and travel companies.
Emmanuel Babalola, Fincra’s Chief Commercial and Growth Officer, described the licence as a “game-changer for businesses looking to expand or operate in the region,” highlighting its focus on enabling growth for its customers.
Babalola, who joined Fincra in 2025 with extensive experience from Binance and Bundle, brings valuable expertise to accelerate Fincra’s growth across African markets.
The company’s innovative APIs allow businesses to collect payments globally and make payouts locally, simplifying cross-border financial operations and supporting remittance, payroll, and market expansion initiatives.
Fincra’s licence in South Africa complements its existing operations in Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, the UK, Europe, and North America, positioning it as a unified gateway for intra-African and global payments.
This strategic move aligns with the broader trend of African fintechs evolving from point solutions to full-stack infrastructure providers, enhancing the continent’s digital payment ecosystem.
This announcement on Monday marks a pivotal moment in Fincra’s journey to facilitate seamless, secure, and compliant financial transactions across Africa, empowering businesses to scale efficiently across borders.
