Pesalink Fintech Programme to Accelerate Innovation and Collaboration

23 October 2025 | Nairobi, Kenya- Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), operators of Pesalink has today launched the Pesalink Fintech Programme. This new initiative designed to help fintechs build, scale, and deliver financial services faster through direct access to Pesalink’s secure APIs, settlement network, and shared infrastructure. 

The transition from a payment network to an open, industry-led innovation platform marks a new era for Pesalink. The Fintech Programme connects fintechs, banks, and digital platforms to Kenya’s trusted payment rails, making it easier to test and commercialise new solutions that drive financial inclusion and efficiency. 

The Programme has three key components: engagement with fintechs and settlement banks, the development of new use cases, and the provision of tools to support innovation. 

Pesalink has onboarded over 26 fintech partners and established preferential access and pricing with selected settlement banks. These settlement banks help fintechs manage liquidity and move funds securely, so they can safely scale. 

Beyond Pesalink’s account-to-account instant payment network, the Programme includes expanded fintech use cases: BulkPay allows businesses and fintechs to send hundreds of payments instantly through a single API or web interface. This helps SMEs instantly run multiple transactions, like salaries, supplier payouts, refunds, or loan disbursements.  

Pesalink Pay enables merchants to receive account-to-account payments from customers. This enhances the checkout experience with instant transactions and payment notifications. It also providing fintechs with a valuable new payment product to offer their business customers.  

To support use-case innovation, the Programme has new developer tools, including the Pesalink Sandbox. Fintechs can now test integrations, experiment safely, and validate ideas quickly. This speeds up product development, reduces entry costs, and helps bring services to market faster – without jeopardising consumer safety and stability.  

This is another step towards industry-led open infrastructure collaboration. It standardises how innovators connect to the national payments network, creating consistent, secure, and interoperable links between banks and fintechs.  

Jeremy Ngunze, Board Chairman at IPSL said, “By simplifying access and testing, Pesalink encourages more players to build on shared infrastructure rather than developing isolated systems. This strengthens interoperability, drives competition, and supports the growth of inclusive digital financial services across Kenya.” 

“This is a landmark moment for Pesalink and Kenya’s digital payments ecosystem,” said Gituku Kirika, Chief Executive Officer, IPSL.  

“We’re moving beyond enabling transfers to enabling innovation. The Fintech Programme gives the sector freedom to experiment, test, and connect directly with our rails. Propositions like BulkPay and PesalinkPay turn that access into real, scalable opportunities. Our vision is to make real-time payment innovation the new normal for every fintech in Kenya.” 

The Nairobi launch event, which brought together fintech leaders and ecosystem enablers, reinforced Pesalink’s stronger collaboration with emerging industry players. Over the past quarter, Pesalink has signed multiple partnership agreements with fintechs and financial institutions, signalling increased collaboration and interoperability in the payments landscape. 

As Kenya’s digital payments market continues to expand — projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 14.1%1 (SDK Finance, 2024) — and with the country ranked among Africa’s fastest-advancing real-time payments ecosystems2 (McKinsey, 2024), Pesalink’s open-access model sets a benchmark for sustainable growth and inclusive innovation. 

The Fintech Programme forms the foundation of Pesalink’s broader mission: to connect fintechs, banks, and digital platforms through open, secure, and interoperable real-time rails that deliver simplicity, speed, and trust for every transaction. 

END 

 

About Pesalink 

Pesalink is Kenya's de facto instant, open and interoperable account to account transfer network. It is operated by Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), a subsidiary of the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA). It was established in 2015 under the National Payment System (NPS) Act to enhance financial inclusion and efficiency in Kenya's banking sector.   

 

To this end, Pesalink enables seamless transfers of up to Ksh. 999,999 to any Kenyan bank account holder, anywhere, at any time, across the +80 participants integrated on its network who include banks, telcos, fintechs and SACCOs. As a simple, instant and affordable transfer service, Pesalink is widely accessible on all major banking channels – including internet banking, mobile apps, and bank USSD 

For more information, please visit:  http://www.pesalink.co.ke  

For enquiries, please contact: 

Trezer Maina, Head of Marketing & Communication, Integrated Payment Services Limited,  [email protected]   or  Cynthia Wangu, Senior Account Manager, Levanter Africa,  [email protected]