Rapid transformation in the digital payments sector - the growth of e-commerce and digital payments in South Africa.

The KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator Africa competition came to an exciting close this week and saw Africa’s future unicorn, Ukheshe, take second place among 75 other worthy entrants across Africa. The maiden KPMG Global Tech Innovator launch showcased Africa’s place as the next global the next growth and investment frontier. Aimed at recognising the fastest-growing, most innovative technology companies across the continent, Clayton Hayward, CEO, Ukheshe, says th

Ukheshe started with a humble proposition: bring electronic payments to the unbanked. As Ukheshe grew, it saw the broader issue: it’s not just that many people are unbanked; many financial institutions don’t have the digital means to engage with more modern audiences. When it comes to using QR codes, USSD payments, mobile apps, web interfaces and such, most banks find it too complicated. They have to coordinate the services of multiple providers and vendors, all while navigat

1 min read. Eclipse is built and operated by Ukheshe based on hundreds of man-years of experience in the financial services, telecoms and payments arena. The goal of the platform is to provide a set of powerful APIs covering everything from customer and organisation management to digital wallets, payment gateways, card issuing, card acceptance, bank integration, authentication, KYC, QR code acceptance/payments and numerous other capabilities required by most fintech propositi

2 min read. Ukheshe, Mastercard, Nedbank and Telkom collaborate to grow access to the digital economy with a virtual product that enables secure e-commerce payments on the phone Telkom has launched Africa’s first Mastercard virtual card for use on WhatsApp, enabling Telkom Pay customers to make e-commerce payments. This move is expected to empower millions of South Africans – even those without a bank account – to access the digital economy and transact online. Launched in 20

1 min read. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem, announces its first cohort of 2021, selecting 16 tech startups from 11 countries and seven sectors out of 150 applicants to join its vibrant community. The number of successful applications reflects an 11 per cent success rate that led to Hub71 selecting its first startups from India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Mauritius and South Africa, in addition to its first SpaceTech startup, following the

2 min read. Leading South African digital fintech enablement provider, Ukheshe Technologies will expand its footprint into the Asia-Pacific region as it introduces innovative digital-first payment solutions via key partnerships in what is emerging as a lucrative growth market for the B2B payment technology specialist. The move comes as Ukheshe continues to build on its solid reputation as a trusted enablement partner, having established relationships with financial service pl

1 min read. The gig economy – characterized by the prevalence of flexible independent contractors, as opposed to permanent jobs – is growing at a rapid pace worldwide. According to Mastercard’s white paper on The Gig Economy in East Africa, this global economy is currently sized at $193 billion and increasing at a projected annual rate of 17.4%. By the end of 2023, it is forecast to be worth $455 billion. Technology, with its rapid advancements in digital offerings allowing p

2 min read. Leading South African digital-first fintech enabler, Ukheshe Technologies has announced the appointment of Anton Coertzen as President of Strategic Partnerships. Coertzen will be responsible for growing the business through key partnerships which complement the company’s business development and product innovation strategy. The appointment comes as Ukheshe continues to entrench its position as a formidable payment technology specialist within the B2B sector. Follo

1 min read. A recent Accenture report for North America noted that “incumbents must embrace collaboration and understand that, when it comes to the question of whether fintechs are friends or foes in retail payments – they are both.” In an ever-changing digital payments landscape, fintechs are able to provide solutions that enable payments to happen in a dynamic way that is both effective and convenient for the end customer. If an organisation, like a bank or telco, perceives

2 min read. In a region still dominated by cash and mobile money options, like M-Pesa, new collaborations between fintechs are looking to capture the price-sensitive market with innovative, open-loop digital payment solutions in East Africa. According to Mark Dankworth, President International, Ukheshe Technologies, the region is poised for a surge in digital banking growth, with the likes of MCQR and virtual cards likely to make the biggest impact. This follows the Kenyan re

1 min read. Nedbank, in collaboration with Mastercard and Ukheshe, has launched its Money Message service – a payment platform that lets small and micro-businesses receive secure in-chat payments from their customers via WhatsApp. The bank said that the service is a first in South Africa, and will allow merchants to send an invoice requesting a payment from any customer through WhatsApp. Customers in turn can then settle a payment directly from the platform. How it works Nedb

1 min read. A good variety of payment solutions are required for businesses to remain competitive and increase their market share in an environment where customers demand more options and greater flexibility. When solutions are created to connect organisations to customers, it is vital those customers feel in complete control of their money. To achieve this, a reliable and trustworthy enablement partner is an important foundation. Ukheshe Technologies creates payment solution

2 min read. Digital FinTech enablement provider, Ukheshe Technologies, together with Infobip, a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected customer experiences across all stages of the customer journey at scale, have developed South Africa’s very first WhatsApp payment gateway for use by Telkom, one of the country’s largest mobile operators. In addition to being South Africa’s first digital wallet platform, the solution is also the first W

2 min read. In April 2020, Ukheshe Technologies was selected to join Mastercard Start Path, an exclusive startup engagement program for later-stage scaling startups. In the 11 months that followed, we pivoted to a B2B model that focused on the enablement of Mastercard’s digital-first strategy. Our journey continued with the acquisition of Oltio – which developed the digital payments platform that supports Mastercard’s QR code service, Masterpass, in South Africa. while also c

2 min read. The last few months have been an exciting chapter in Ukheshe’s growth and development. Our team continues to expand with the brightest talent in our industry who bring with them the extensive skills, knowledge and experience to drive our regional and international ambitions. We are thrilled to have recently welcomed new members to our sales, support, and development teams. With our growing team, we are even more well-placed to meet the demands of our banking, telc

2 min read. Ukheshe is looking forward to the coming months as we extend our African and global footprint as a digital-first financial services enabler. Currently, we provide the platforms and technology that support 16 banks and fintechs, three telcos, 3,000 billers, 200,000 merchants, as well as 18 million digital wallets and four million apps combined which process millions of transactions every month. Ultimately, payment solutions allow more people to participate in econo

2 min read. With 2021 now well underway and digital transformation accelerating at pace, Ukheshe Technologies is looking forward to the coming months as we continue to scale our operations across more locations on the African continent, and even further afield including Singapore, Dubai and Austria. As Ukheshe Technologies’ footprint extended into Africa there was a clear opportunity to make the biggest impact as a solutions-driven B2B provider of tailor-made payment solution

2 min read. Ukheshe has appointed Prins Mhlanga, CEO of Ocean on 76 Group, to its board of directors. Mhlanga joins the board of the South African micro-payments platform provider in the position of non-executive director. In a statement, Ukheshe says Mhlanga’s appointment comes at a time when it has refocused on the B2B sector and is streamlining its payment solution services. Clayton Hayward, co-founder of Ukheshe, says the company is excited to have Ocean on 76 on board: “

2 min read. In an initiative that will see the growth and development of payment services within the East Africa region, leading digital fintech platform provider, Ukheshe, has announced the conclusion of a new agreement with the Kenya-based lender KCB Bank Kenya. Through the agreement, KCB will sponsor Ukheshe’s Bank Identification Number (BIN) number, which will allow Ukheshe to immediately issue both physical and virtual cards across East Africa where KCB has an extensive