New challenger emerges in cut-throat e-payments sector

Mbongeni Mguni | Friday May 29, 2020 18:05

The country’s blossoming digital payments market is the battlefield of players ranging from banks to telecommunications giants and products ranging from the mobile wallets to Orange Money and MyZaka.

Global and regional providers have sought to tap into the country’s potential for e-payment solutions, leveraging on Botswana’s spreading technological backbone, deepening financial sophistication and rising per capita income.

This week, Cellulant, which describes itself as Africa’s leading financial technology company, said it had secured an Electronic Payment Service licence from the Bank of Botswana, becoming one of the first to be awarded the licence under the new digital payments regulations. “We are excited to receive this new licence,” Cellulant Botswana country manager, Bathusi Beleme said in a statement.

“Cellulant has been in Botswana for 11 years now as a technical solutions partner providing digital banking services to five of the leading banks in the country.

“With this licence, we can now directly provide our innovative payment solutions to today’s connected businesses, organisations and consumers.”

Beleme said with this new licence, Cellulant Botswana was rolling out its own payment solutions that will enable Batswana to pay for electricity, airtime or pay-TV using all major international and local debit and credit cards.

“Plans are underway to also introduce multiple mobile money accounts including Orange Money, MyZaka (Mascom), sMega (beMobile) in the coming months,” she said.

“The company has also begun integration of Tingg checkout, a solution that will help businesses and organisations digitise and accept both mobile and card payments.”