OPEN SWITCH AFRICA
Use Cases
Built for people, platforms, and policy-makers - with Africa’s financial inclusion and growth in mind.
From rural remittances to enterprise disbursements, OpenSwitch Africa supports the full spectrum of digital payments – securely, instantly, and at scale.
Whether you’re sending money to a family member, paying government fees, settling invoices between businesses, or enabling cross-border commerce, OpenSwitch provides a unified switch that connects financial institutions, mobile money providers, and merchants.
Core Transaction Use Cases
| Use Case | Function |
|---|---|
| Person-to-Person (P2P) | Enables secure, instant money transfers between individuals — across wallets, banks, or accounts. Supports mobile money, cash-in/cash-out agents, and digital remittances. |
| Person-to-Business (P2B) | Lets users pay merchants, service providers, and utility companies using mobile wallets, bank accounts, or cards. Ideal for e-commerce, subscriptions, and bill payments. |
| Business-to-Business (B2B) | Facilitates supplier payments, bulk payroll disbursements, and inter-company transactions with real-time or batch processing. |
| Business-to-Government (B2G) | Streamlines tax remittances, license payments, and regulatory fees, enhancing transparency and reducing overheads for businesses. |
| Government-to-Person (G2P) | Supports reliable delivery of social protection payments, pensions, and government disbursements — especially in rural and low-income areas. |
Cross-Border & Regional Transactions
OpenSwitch Africa enables multi-currency, cross-border payments between African countries by:
- Facilitating currency conversion and FX reconciliation
- Complying with AfCFTA and regional central bank policies
- Reducing delays and remittance costs
Examples:
- Migrant worker sending remittances home
- Regional e-commerce platform settling supplier payments
- Government paying multilateral institutions
A seamless path for intra-African commerce and diaspora remittances.
Merchant Payment Scenarios
Sector-Specific Use Cases
| Sector | Use Case Example |
|---|---|
| Health & Insurance | Collect health insurance premiums, disburse claims, and support donor-to-patient payments. |
| Education | Pay school fees via mobile, manage subscription-based learning platforms, or disburse bursaries. |
| Utilities & Telecoms | Support pre-paid and post-paid utility bills and telecom top-ups using multiple payment channels. |
| Public Services | Pay for IDs, permits, court fees, and taxes - with receipt verification and real-time settlement. |
| Agriculture | Disburse input subsidies to farmers or settle crop payments from cooperatives or buyers. |
Social Impact & Financial Inclusion
OpenSwitch is designed to expand access to digital finance for underbanked and underserved populations.
| Inclusion Use Case | Impact |
|---|---|
| Microfinance Integration | Connect MFIs to the broader payment ecosystem, supporting micro-loans, group savings, and rural finance. |
| Donations & Charities | Provide NGOs with secure, transparent donation rails with real-time donor tracking and fund allocation. |
| Remittances | Enable affordable, fast diaspora remittances with local compliance and multi-currency support. |
Payment Processing & Infrastructure Use Cases
| Use Case | Description |
|---|---|
| Payment Processors | High-volume institutions can integrate with OpenSwitch to process large-scale transactions for banks, PSPs, and fintechs. |
| Acquiring Banks & PSPs | Extend reach by connecting to a pan-African switch for inward/outward transactions across channels. |
| Fintech Developers | Build new apps and services on top of the switch’s API and modular services. |
Analytics, Governance & System Use Cases
Let’s build it together.
Your Use Case, Your Infrastructure
OpenSwitch Africa is modular and extensible. Have a unique use case or payment innovation in mind?