South African payments orchestration start-up NjiaPay has closed a R35 million ($2.1 million) seed funding round led by European software-as-a-service (SaaS) investor Newion. The capital will be utilized to expand the company’s engineering and commercial teams while accelerating its technical integration footprint across the African continent.
Fragmented Payment Systems in Africa
NjiaPay was founded in late 2024 by Jonatan Allback and Roderick Simons as a strategic spin-off from Talk360, the international calling app. The platform was developed to solve the technical and operational complexities of managing multiple payment service providers (PSPs) in Africa’s highly fragmented financial landscape, where 54 countries utilize distinct currencies and localized banking systems.
For digital businesses, maintaining high transaction success rates in Africa often requires integrating dozens of local payment methods. Subscription-based models are particularly vulnerable to friction; industry data suggests approximately 20% of recurring transactions fail due to expired or replaced cards.
The Neutral Coordination Layer
Operating as a “neutral coordination layer,” NjiaPay integrates into a merchant’s existing payment stack via a single API. This architecture enables the platform to intelligently route transactions to the best-performing provider in real-time, optimizing for both authorization rates and costs.
During its pilot phase with Talk360, the platform successfully consolidated six individual PSP integrations into one. This transition resulted in a 25% increase in checkout conversions in key markets. NjiaPay is also introducing the Card Account Updater to the South African market, a tool that automatically synchronizes saved card details to reduce avoidable payment failures.
Strategic Growth and Regional Impact
The new funding will support NjiaPay’s expansion beyond South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. The company plans to deepen its collaboration with regional providers and recently announced a partnership with global orchestration platform Cross Switch to enhance Open Banking capabilities for local merchants.
The rise of payment orchestration signifies a maturing phase in African fintech. As businesses look to scale across borders, the ability to manage diverse payment flows through a single control tower is becoming a critical infrastructure requirement. NjiaPay’s expansion aims to lower the barrier for global enterprises entering the African market while providing local SMEs with the tools to compete on a global scale.
