Unified Payments (UP), Nigeria’s pioneer payments and financial technology company has announced its partnership with Pan-African Payment & Settlement System (PAPSS) to drive seamless cross-border transactions across the continent through the launch of the PAPSSCARD.

Under this partnership, UP has been appointed as the Processor and Acquirers of PAPSS co-branded cards under the recently launched PAPSSCARD, the first Pan-African card Scheme.

This partnership empowers banks and deposit-taking institutions to issue the PAPSSCARD through UP and enables acceptance of the card at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and point-of-sale terminals across merchant locations nationwide.

In addition to card processing, UP will also serve as a switch for instant payments on the PAPSS network, enabling customers of Nigerian financial institutions to send and receive real-time payments across African borders.

According to the terms of the partnership, merchants who are clients of UP will be the first in Nigeria to accept the PAPSSCARD as a means of payment, positioning UP at the forefront of Africa’s digital payment integration drive.

This is in addition to enabling instant cross border transaction/fund transfers across Africa, just as UP will accept PAPSSCARD across its networks under the terms of the agreement.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UP Group, Dr. Agada Apochi, described the partnership as a significant leap toward enhancing the ease of doing business both in Nigeria and across Africa.

He said this is a testament to the position of UP as a shared industry infrastructure and promoter of cross-enterprise alliances.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Pan-African Payment & Settlement System (PAPSS), Mike Ogbalu, expressed his enthusiasm regarding the recently established partnership with UP in Nigeria, an important market for Pan-African payments.

He also praised the collaborative efforts and outstanding achievements of the UP team in delivering a successful Proof of Concept exclusively for the Afreximbank Annual Meetings 2025 (AAM2025) in Abuja, Nigeria.