In a move poised to transform how African businesses manage financial transactions, South African fintech startup NjiaPay is streamlining payments across the continent through its innovative payments-as-a-service platform. Born as a spin-out from international calling app Talk360, NjiaPay aims to tackle the persistent complexity of Africa’s fragmented payment systems.
Talk360, co-founded in 2016 by South African tech entrepreneur Dean Hiine alongside Dutch partners Hans Osnabrugge and Jorne Schamp, has made a name as Africa’s leading app for affordable international calls. With a presence in South Africa, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and India, the app connected over four million users in 2023 and raised a US$1.4 million pre-Series A round following a US$7 million seed round in 2022.
As Talk360 scaled across the continent, it encountered repeated challenges integrating with various payment service providers (PSPs). To ensure full coverage of local payment methods and maintain redundancy in critical markets like Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, the team built an internal aggregation and orchestration system to simplify payments.
This internal solution proved so successful—boosting conversion rates by 25% and improving operational efficiency—that the team decided to spin it off as a standalone company in December 2023, giving birth to NjiaPay.
Now led by CEO and co-founder Jonatan Allback, NjiaPay has positioned itself as a modern solution for small and mid-sized businesses navigating Africa’s complex payment terrain. “Whether it’s cross-border payments, local transaction methods, risk management, or reconciliation, NjiaPay bridges the gap and addresses real challenges,” said Allback.
In the first quarter of 2024, NjiaPay focused on hiring its core engineering team and enhancing the platform to scale operations from supporting a single client to onboarding up to ten. The startup has already attracted interest from SaaS platforms, fintech firms, and e-commerce retailers in South Africa.
NjiaPay has also gained investor confidence, recently closing an oversubscribed US$1.3 million pre-seed funding roundled by HAVAIC, with participation from Renew Capital and angel investors from both Africa and Europe. Though the company has already launched in Nigeria and Kenya, its current focus remains on expanding within South Africa, while supporting local companies with regional and international ambitions.
“We’re actively supporting South African online retailers with cross-border transactions and are in discussions with digital businesses aiming to scale across the continent using our platform,” Allback added.
NjiaPay operates on a subscription-based model, offering three pricing tiers, starting as low as US$50 per month, giving clients access to a flexible and scalable solution tailored to their needs.
As digital commerce continues to grow in Africa, platforms like NjiaPay are emerging as essential tools for businesses seeking reliability, security, and simplicity in managing payments across borders.
