why Africa is not one market
The most common mistake international brands make when approaching African payments is treating the continent as a single market. Africa consists of 54 countries, each with its own central bank, its own payment regulator, its own mobile network licensing regime, and its own consumer payment preferences. A payment method that dominates one country may not exist in the next.
Infrastructure challenges compound the regulatory complexity. Power provision varies significantly across regions. Internet connectivity for the entire continent depends on a small number of undersea fibre cables, and disruptions, from weather, shipping incidents or geopolitical events, can affect connectivity across multiple countries simultaneously. Any payment infrastructure built for African markets must account for this at the connector level.
we chose Africa as our first market to build in, not as an afterthought. our connectors are built for the markets they serve, not adapted from european or american card-first architecture. mobile money, local bank transfer rails, and regional wallet providers are first-class citizens in our platform.
the two models for entering African markets
International brands entering Africa typically approach the market through one of two models, or a blend of both:
Localisation, registering a local entity in the target market and building direct relationships with licensed payment partners. This gives the brand maximum control but requires significant time, legal cost and in-country resource. It is appropriate for brands committing long-term to a specific large market such as Nigeria, Kenya or South Africa.
Aggregation, partnering with a licensed local payment company or orchestration platform that already has the regulatory relationships in place. The brand accesses multiple markets through a single commercial agreement, significantly reducing time-to-market and initial cost.
In practice, the most effective strategy combines both, using orchestration to enter rapidly and test market demand, then selectively localising in markets where volume justifies the investment.
mobile money, the dominant payment type
Across most African markets, mobile money is the primary digital payment type, not cards. Safaricom mPesa in Kenya, MTN MoMo across West and Central Africa, Airtel Money, Orange Money, Vodacom, Tigo, Wave and many others each serve specific country footprints. Critically, mobile money transactions in Africa are always settled in local currency only. A brand operating across multiple African countries must therefore plan for multi-currency settlement flows that convert local settlements to their operational currency through compliant cross-border channels.
our African connectors cover safaricom mpesa, mtn momo, airtel money, orange money, vodacom, cell c, glo, telkom, tigo, vodafone, expresso, wave, zamtel and more, alongside card acquirers and bank transfer rails, all accessible through one api integration. new connectors are added for clients at no additional cost.
merchant-owned commercials
One of the most important commercial principles CoralCommerce applies in Africa is that client commercial agreements with payment sponsors are negotiated and owned directly by the client, not by CoralCommerce. This means brands negotiate their own payment terms with each locally licensed partner they choose to work with, retaining full visibility and control over their cost structure. CoralCommerce connects you to the partner and manages the technical relationship; the commercial relationship is yours.
This structure gives brands the independence they need to negotiate strongly in each market as their volume grows, rather than being locked into the rates an intermediary has negotiated on their behalf.
forex controls and cross-border settlement
Several key African markets operate strict foreign exchange controls. South Africa and Nigeria are the two most significant examples. Brands operating in these markets must plan for limitations on cross-border remittances and ensure their settlement flows are structured to comply with local forex regulations. Failure to account for this at the planning stage is one of the most common causes of operational disruption for brands entering African payments for the first time.