PAPSS Crosses 30-Country Mark in Intra-African Payment Infrastructure Push
The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System has expanded to cover 30 countries, marking a structural milestone for continental cross-border payment infrastructure. The crossing reinforces PAPSS's role as the primary settlement backbone for intra-African transactions, though regulatory harmonisation hurdles across member states remain outstanding.
PAPSS: the rails exist — now comes the harder part
A 1,000 per cent rise in transaction volumes sounds extraordinary. But PAPSS's own CEO is saying, in plain terms, that the build phase is over and the real test hasn't started yet.
The infrastructure — 30 countries, 24 central banks, 200-plus commercial banks — is genuinely impressive. So are the claimed savings: 92 to 95 per cent cheaper per transaction, near-instant settlement. That's not a rounding error on today's cross-border payment costs.
But all of that only matters if a trader in Lagos or a supplier in Nairobi can actually reach it through their everyday bank or payment app. And that last step — getting commercial banks and fintechs to actively route transactions through PAPSS rather than their existing correspondent relationships — is where continental infrastructure projects have historically stalled.
Building the network was the easy part to celebrate. Activating it is the unglamorous work that decides whether this becomes Africa's actual payment backbone or a well-funded proof of concept.
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- PAPSS expands across Africa as transaction growth raises the stakes for wider adoption · techtrendske.co.ke · T2