Tag Archives: Payment systems

29Jul/26

Zambia’s massive leap into digital finance

July 29, 2026EconomyAB Bank, Apple Wallet, Banking in India, Consumer-to-business, Digital wallet, European Economic Area, Financial technology, Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems, ISO 20022, Mobile payments, Payment service provider, Payment systems, Single Euro Payments Area, Stephen Mulenga, the bank of zambia, the southern african development community, Zambia, Zambia Electronic Clearing House Limitedadmin

Navigating Zambia’s Digital Payment Landscape

Wed, July 29 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Zambian digital payment ecosystem historically struggled with severe fragmentation, relying heavily on bilateral agreements between financial institutions and routing domestic card transactions through expensive international networks. To address these structural inefficiencies and lower the cost of domestic electronic payments, the Bank of Zambia, the Bankers Association of Zambia, and the Zambia Electronic Clearing House Limited initiated the National Financial Switch project in 2013. The system was designed as a shared public utility to interconnect various payment streams, including automated teller machines, point-of-sale systems, and mobile money platforms, thereby eliminating the need for institutions to build and maintain costly bilateral connections. Continue reading →

29Jul/26

Why Zambia’s Digital Rails Need Routine

July 29, 2026FinanceConsumer-to-business, Digital wallet, Financial technology, Mobile payment, Payment service provider, Payment systems, Stephen Mulenga, Unified Payments Interface, Zambiaadmin

Zambia’s Digital Payment Landscape: Bridging the Gap from Rails to Routine

Wed, July 29 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — Zambia has made remarkable strides in expanding financial access, achieving a financial inclusion rate of 80.1% by 2025, a significant increase from 69.4% in 2020. A cornerstone of this progress is the National Financial Switch (NFS), a shared infrastructure that connects banks, payment service providers, fintechs, and mobile money operators. By facilitating wallet-to-bank, bank-to-wallet, and merchant transactions, the NFS eliminates the need for institutions to build expensive bilateral connections. However, despite these foundational achievements, Zambia faces a critical new challenge: transitioning these digital “rails” into an affordable, trusted, and everyday routine for its citizens. Continue reading →

29Jul/26

How Shoprite Became Africa’s Operating System

July 29, 2026EconomyAirtel, Checkers, Digital wallet, Economy of the Northeastern United States, Grocery store, Mobile payment, New Jersey, Payment systems, Pieter Engelbrecht, ShopRite, Shoprite Group, Shoprite Holdings, Shoprite Money Market, South Africa, Supermarket, Wakefern Food Corporation, Woodbridge Township, Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, Zambiaadmin

The Digital Integration and Social Evolution of African Retail: An Analysis of Mobile Wallet Adoption and Community Impact

Wed, July 29 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The landscape of retail in Africa is undergoing a profound transformation, characterized by the rapid digitization of payment ecosystems and a deep, institutional commitment to social impact. Driven by high mobile penetration and the need for inclusive financial services, retailers are rethinking traditional commercial infrastructures to better serve unbanked populations. A leading example of this dual evolution is observed in Zambia, where Shoprite Holdings has seamlessly integrated mobile wallet payments into its point-of-sale systems while simultaneously expanding its extensive community resilience programs. Continue reading →

03Jun/26

Reputation Capital: The Economic Engine Driving Mpelembe’s Autonomous Agents

June 3, 2026EconomyAI agent, Artificial intelligence, Bitcoin, Blockchains, Bytecodes, Computer security, Consensus, Cross-platform software, Cryptocurrencies, Decentralization, Decentralized finance, Ethereum, Handshake, Internet protocols, Kitwe, Lusaka, Naoris Protocol, Ndola, Payment systems, Secure multi-party computation, Smart contract, Software agent, Trusted execution environment, Verification, X402, Zambiaadmin

Reputation Capital: The Economic Engine Driving Mpelembe’s Autonomou Agents

Tue, Jun 02 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Mpelembe Agent Crypto Framework is a decentralized infrastructure platform designed to replace traditional, reactive dApps with Proactive Cryptographic Agency. This framework empowers software agents to autonomously manage assets, operate hardware compute clusters, stake capital, and sign atomic settlements while maintaining strict risk insulation. Continue reading →

30May/26

Beyond the “Buy” Button: Preparing Your Infrastructure for Autonomous Agent Payments

May 30, 2026Technology.google, Agentic commerce, Agentic Web, AI agent, Checkout Mandate (Closed), CLOUDFLARE, Coinbase, E-commerce, HTTP X402, Inc., Mastercard, Mobile payments, Online payments, OpenAI, Payment systems, PAYPAL, Stripe, Stripe, Inc., Walmart, X402admin

Verifiable Intent: How Cryptography is Securing the Future of AI-Driven Payments

Sat, May 30 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The Rise of Agentic Commerce The digital economy is undergoing a massive shift from human-centric, “click-to-buy” interactions to autonomous “agentic commerce”. AI agents are no longer just conversational assistants; they can now discover products, negotiate prices, manage subscriptions, and execute transactions on a user’s behalf. However, traditional payment rails break down when a human is not present to click a checkout button. This creates a crisis of trust around three core issues: verifying the user’s authorization, ensuring the authenticity of the agent’s actions (guarding against AI hallucinations), and determining accountability in case of disputes. Continue reading →

25Apr/23

The current state of open banking regulation around the world.

April 25, 2023FinanceAustralia, Bank, Brazil, E-commerce, Economy, Finance, Financial markets, Financial technology, Mobile banking, Money, Open banking, Payment Services Directive, Payment systems, Personal financial management, Singapore, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

April 25, 2023 /Finance/ — Open banking is a financial services term for the practice of allowing third-party financial service providers to access customer data held by other financial institutions, through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs). The goal of open banking is to promote innovation and competition in the financial services industry by giving consumers more choices and control over their financial data. Continue reading →

24Apr/23

Viva Wallet and Elo partnership disrupts legacy checkout and embeds all payments into Elo mobile Android computers.

April 24, 2023FinanceBanking, Contactless, Contactless payment, Economy, EMV, Financial services, Mobile payments, Payment systems, Radio-frequency identification, United Statesadmin

The strategic partnership between Viva Wallet, a leading European cloud-based neobank, and Elo, a leading global supplier of interactive touch solutions, is pioneering a new retail payments experience. European businesses can now offer new payment experiences, accepting Chip & PIN and Tap-on-Phone contactless payments by combining Viva Wallet’s cutting-edge embedded payments platform for smart devices, with Elo M50 and M60 Pay mobile computers in an enterprise-grade mobile point of sale system. One piece of technology that integrates smart retail software and payment acceptance for each and every transaction into a powerful and robust handheld Android computer; anywhere, anytime, seamlessly, all from the palm of your hand. Viva Wallet and Elo’s strategic alliance, featuring additional omnichannel solutions, has gone live in Europe with plans to expand globally, including the US. Continue reading

20Apr/23

Square Software Turns Android Devices Into Powerful Payment Technology

April 20, 2023Mobile.google, Afterpay, Alexis Sowa, Android, Australia, Block Inc., Cloud clients, Contactless payment, Economy, Financial services, France, Google Pay, Ireland, Lena Furr, Mobile payments, Money, Online payments, Payment systems, San Francisco, Smartphones, Spain, Square, Inc., United Kingdom, United States, Washington, D.C.admin

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Square today launched Tap to Pay on Android for sellers across the U.S., Australia, Ireland, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The new technology empowers sellers to securely accept contactless payments with a compatible Android device, and at no additional cost.
Continue reading →

28Dec/22

Japanese fintech leader Smartpay first to launch the next phase of digital consumer finance through open banking

December 28, 2022FinanceApple Pay, Bank, Credit card, Economy, Finance, Financial technology, Japan, Money, Payment systemsadmin

Japan-based fintech Smartpay has launched Smartpay Bank Direct, the country’s first digital consumer finance service that allows customers to pay for online installment purchases straight from their bank accounts. Smartpay Bank Direct emphasizes user security while delivering convenience for the consumer, through a network of 67 partner banks across Japan[1]. Smartpay is Japan’s first digital consumer finance company to utilize Japan’s open banking system. Continue reading

17Oct/22

Will South Africa’s street vendors go bust in a cashless world?

October 17, 2022EconomyCashless society, Chantal Maritz, Digital currency, Economy, Finance, First National Bank, Ghana, JOHANNESBURG, Kenya, Kim Harrisberg, Lebogang Ramathoka, Michael Thomson, Money, Payment card, Payment systems, PricewaterhouseCoopers, QR code payment, South Africa, Thomas Nhassavele, Timothy, Yocoadmin

Kim Harrisberg

Published: October 12, 2022

Digital payments on the rise in South Africa
People without mobile phones, bank accounts excluded
Calls for innovation to include informal economy

JOHANNESBURG – For more than a decade, musician Thomas Nhassavele has been busking next to the parking payment machine at Johannesburg’s Rosebank Mall, where drivers often dropped their change into his guitar case. Continue reading →