Paymentology, the leading global issuer-processor, today announced a new partnership with Bank Zero to accelerate access to modern digital banking in South Africa. As Bank Zero’s first alliance partner, Paymentology supports the bank’s vision of enabling organisations to participate more easily in financial services through its scalable, secure infrastructure.

Bank Zero, a branchless, app-driven bank built from the ground up with cutting-edge digital thinking, brings deep local market expertise and a modern approach to banking. Combined with Paymentology’s global card processing expertise and established operational presence in South Africa, including over 20 years of on-soil processing experience in Africa, the partnership brings together local market insight, scalable payments infrastructure and the strong local execution needed to support alliance partnerships while meeting South Africa’s regulatory and data residency requirements.

Through this partnership, fintechs, retailers, SMEs and digital platforms will be able to offer tailored financial products through flexible Mastercard card issuing, supported by digital-first infrastructure that simplifies onboarding, enhances customer experiences, and accelerates time to market.

Kesheni Moodley, Regional Director for Africa at Paymentology said: “Successful partnerships are built on a shared vision. From our earliest conversations with Bank Zero, it was clear we shared the same goal of solving real customer challenges and building infrastructure that puts the user experience first. By combining our global card processing expertise with Bank Zero’s digital banking capabilities, alongside our shared strong local presence in South Africa, we are creating new opportunities for businesses to innovate and scale in the country’s rapidly evolving payments landscape.”

South Africa is one of the most sophisticated financial markets in Africa, yet cash continues to play a significant role in everyday commerce. At the same time, digital payment behaviours are shifting rapidly: over 70% of consumers have used digital wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, over 60% of face-to-face payments are now contactless, and 90% of SMEs have adopted digital payments. This shift highlights a significant opportunity for modern financial services to drive greater accessibility, efficiency and innovation across the market.

Lezanne Human, Co-Founder of Bank Zero, added: “South Africa has a strong financial system, but there is still significant opportunity to simplify the customer offering, making it more easily accessible and faster for businesses and customers alike. We are excited about opening up new possibilities for those organisations looking to participate in the financial ecosystem, through our Paymentology partnership.”

By combining modern digital banking infrastructure with global card processing expertise and strong local capability, Paymentology and Bank Zero are creating new pathways for organisations to deliver more accessible and relevant financial services in South Africa.