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South Africa“South Africa was an early adopter of QR code-based payments,” said Gabriel Swanepoel, vice president of business integration at Mastercard Southern Africa. “The first QR code app was introduced by SnapScan, a subsidiary of Standard Bank, in 2013.”QR codes are a prevalent method of payment in South Africa.

Visa and Fawry sign strategic partnership to accelerate digital payments acceptance

One of the key solutions that the partnership aims to address is the need to enable a digital ecosystem that easily supports the needs of consumers and merchants. Through Visa Direct’s peer to peer transfer and low cost QR solutions, millions of customers – regardless of who they bank with – would be able to make peer to peer and business to business transactions easily and securely so they can move money in real time.

Yes! SnapScan is safe to use on multiple levels: The app requires a PIN to be entered before any transaction can be completed. This prevents anyone who has your phone from making transactions, as your PIN should be known only to you.  Your card details are also encrypted and stored safely and securely on your phone. Even if your phone is stolen, nobody will be able to see or access your card details.

SnapScan is a new innovative mobile payment App on a smartphone. It provides a cashless, card-less payment app that consumers can use at thousands of merchants across South Africa or to make donations to CANSA.  It can be used for customers of any bank in South Africa (not just Standard Bank).

SnapScan wants to see a cashless, frictionless society. For the customer, the app poses an alternative to cash and credit cards because it’s faster. Customers don’t need to wait in a queue, or for the PoS terminal to finish processing their payment. You can simply take a picture of the merchant’s unique QR code, enter the amount, and they’ll be notified either via SMS or their PoS system. The merchant can set up the system in five minutes (SnapScan claims) with no hardware required other than a mobile phone. This means that any person selling apples on the street to a department store can integrate SnapScan. There are also fewer costs involved compared to setting up a credit card terminal, the only charge being a 3% transaction fee. Secondly, it’s meant to be more secure. With SnapScan’s method of payment, the merchant never has to handle your details or card. The app user’s card details are stored on their smartphones and protected with their personal PIN codes.

This week, SnapScan rolled its app out to The Big Issue vendors across South Africa, the non-profit magazine that’s usually sold at intersections in urban areas. People with the app can now purchase the latest issue by simply taking a photo of a QR code and typing in the amount they want to pay. There’s no hassle of fiddling for your wallet or looking for change lying around in the car before the light turns green.

And today our technology does just that, by allowing merchants and operators to accept mobile payments from consumers without the need for a traditional bank account.

Coupled with the differing financial, legal, and operational processes across the MEA region is limited access to traditional banking infrastructure, with 63% (circa 1 billion) of the adult population unbanked. While this is a common trait in emerging markets, it does mean that traditional transactions based on credit and debit cards are not a realistic prospect for many consumers. However, with smartphone penetration growing apace, and with it the ability and desire to purchase goods and services through digital channels, there is an increasing need for alternative payment methods to support access and consumption.

And our team’s inclusion efforts don’t stop there. TPAY MOBILE employees have been volunteering and hosting financial literacy workshops with INJAZ Egypt, a non-profit organization empowering young people to own their economic success through partnering with businesses and educational institutions across the country.

SnapScan users can not pay using the app at FNB Speedpoints, said SnapScan CEO Chris Zietsman."The SnapScan app can scan and pay some non-SnapScan generated QR codes. Before these are enabled, we carefully assess the security, user experience and tech stability of these solutions based on specific criteria to ensure the seamless experience our customers have come to appreciate. "Although SnapScan app users cannot currently scan FNB Speedpoint devices, they can already pay at a wide range of Masterpass enabled businesses such as Engen convenience stores, Payfast ecommerce merchants, and Takealot."SnapScan will be adding to that list in coming months, Zietsman said.

According to Oviosu, Visa and Paga’s engineering teams have already started working together and Paga expects to roll-out these new options in Nigeria sometime in second-quarter 2020.

“Based on the partnership, we’re going to launch QR codes and NFC [payments] into the market in Nigeria — alternative ways of receiving payments than bringing out a physical card,” said Oviosu.

According to Ezinne Obikile, SystemSpecs Executive Director, Infrastructure and Payments Gateway; “SystemSpecs is committed to driving financial inclusion and providing payment convenience to all, which underscores this strategic partnership with Paga to extend a wide range of financial solutions and services to customers everywhere, even at a time as this.”

Also commenting, Jay Alabraba, Co-founder and Director of Business Development, Paga said: “In our commitment to make payments easier for all Nigerians and businesses, we are pleased to collaborate with SystemSpecs. Our goal is to always provide an improved experience to our customers everywhere, by leveraging digital technology. This collaboration would further help us meet the needs of individuals who seek to make various bill payments, including those in emerging markets.”

Firepay launched SnapScan in partnership with Standard Bank in 2014. The SnapScan app allows users to pay for goods and services using only their mobile phone. Today, the company has 32 000 physical and online merchants.

SimbaPay (UK, focussed on Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda) – "Send money to family and friends bank accounts or mobile wallets in Africa (from abroad) in a convenient and cheap way. Customers can also use their bill settlement technology to pay merchants in Africa (such as universities, utilities). You can also open a bank account back home using the app".

The company will continue to develop and expand its offering to provide a range of product development and payments services.Kobus Ehlers, Firepay CEO, said: “Our team is looking forward to building out our payments platform to solve the real-world payments problems we have always focused on, and to provide customers with the best experience possible. We’re excited to work with Standard Bank in our mission to achieve this both in South Africa and across the continent.”

“We are excited about working more closely with the Firepay team and think that there is an excellent strategic fit between their capabilities and Standard Bank’s vision for a truly universal bank, both in South Africa and throughout the African continent,” said Wendy Pienaar, SBSA Head of Emerging Payments.“Firepay’s experienced team and industry know-how will be used to bolster Standard Bank’s emerging payments strategy,” she added.In addition to SnapScan, the Firepay team’s technology platform already enables payments for several clients, including WeChat and Masterpass.

“We are excited about working more closely with the Firepay team and think that there is an excellent strategic fit between their capabilities and Standard Bank’s vision for a truly universal bank, both in South Africa and throughout the African continent,” said Wendy Pienaar, SBSA Head of Emerging Payments.“Firepay’s experienced team and industry know-how will be used to bolster Standard Bank’s emerging payments strategy,” she added.In addition to SnapScan, the Firepay team’s technology platform already enables payments for several clients, including WeChat and Masterpass.

DonateSupport the causes close to your heart. You can make a once-off donation, and even elect to repeat your donation, turning it into an ongoing, monthly contribution. Have a look at the organisations in the Donate section of the app. Quick and easy way to support a cause Set up a monthly payment to make a long term difference Stay in control, you can view or cancel the contribution at any time

Our scan to pay feature is definitely our most loved solution, but we're evolving into so much more because we can't stop making your lives easier. With SnapScan you can pay in a snap, without the fuss of handling cash, cards, or EFTs.

BelCash’s helloCash service could have 2-3 million users this year and 10 million by 2017 or 2018, the firm’s chief executive Vince Diop said, adding that BelCash would receive a fee for each transaction made.

BelCash’s helloCash service could have 2-3 million users this year and 10 million by 2017 or 2018, the firm’s chief executive Vince Diop said, adding that BelCash would receive a fee for each transaction made.

Netherlands-based BelCash is offering a technology called helloCash, while MOSS ICT, mainly owned by an Ireland-based firm, is rolling out M-Birr in the nation of 96 million people.In both cases, Ethiopian banks and institutions will offer the service to customers and hold the cash deposited, in line with government policy that bars foreign firms or banks from investing in the financial sector or the telecoms industry.

Founded in Cairo, Egypt, Tpay Mobile says it’s the leading digital merchant acquirer in the MENA region

The company supports DCB via three mobile network operators and it facilitates bank transfers and ATM withdrawals through large banks.

Our platform allows you to grow your business the way it should without having to worry about collecting payments from your customers.

It was recently announced that global giant Huawei is cooperating with TPAY MOBILE to make it easier and more convenient for developers in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to monetise their apps on Huawei Mobile Services (HMS).

Leading digital merchant acquirer based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), TPAY MOBILE, enables payment acceptance from 54 mobile payment providers (DCB and wallets), which are connected to over 580 million consumers across 24 countries through a single integration. Its shareholders include Helio

There are signs that South Africa’s transition to a cashless environment could happen quickly. Locally, QR code app-based payment services such as Zapper and SnapScan already have over 50 000 merchants across South Africa. In addition, Samsung Pay launched in August 2018.