One of South Africa’s largest independent payment processors, Adumo, today announced it has acquired SwitchPay, a South African startup providing alternative payment services to merchants and retailers, for an undisclosed amount.
According to Adumo CEO Paul Kent, the investment comes at a time when consumer interest in new payment options is at an all-time high.
“The impact of the pandemic and the rise of new, more convenient and value-adding payment options is revolutionising how South Africans purchase goods and services. The team at SwitchPay has built a world-class suite of alternative payment solutions that brings new forms of value to consumers and retailers alike. We look forward to working with the team as we bring convenient new payments within reach of all South Africans.”
SwitchPay is a fintech company that provides retailers with a digital platform to offer their customers alternative payment methods both in-store and online, including purpose-based lending, customised subscription models, and lay-by. The company’s platform supports third-party payment products through API integration, and its credit-related products aggregate multiple credit providers, including banks and other fintech.
Justin Hawkins, CEO at SwitchPay, commented: “We are proud to have built an innovative digital platform that has attracted this investment from Adumo. We now have an established partner in payments that we can learn from whilst leveraging one another to unlock growth opportunities. This investment allows us to shift our focus to scaling the business through delivering on our core purpose of growing our merchant partners by providing their customers access to affordable and responsible financing products.”
Kent adds that the alternative payment options can also help retailers increase their turnover while expanding access to a wider group of customers.
“By simplifying the in-store payment process and enabling greater choice in how consumers pay for goods, the services offered by SwitchPay can increase basket size and help improve customer retention. As the effects of the pandemic continue to affect consumers and merchants alike, the ability to offer a wider range of payment options can help merchants grow their customer base and revenue at a critical time.”
Adumo services more than 50,000 active clients and 90,000 active card machines, processing more than R80-billion in transaction value across thirteen African countries. The company counts some of South Africa’s most trusted payment providers within its group structure, including Sureswipe, iKhokha, Innervation Pan African Payments, Innervation Rewards, Adumo Online, Humble Till, GAAP, and now SwitchPay.
