You Can Soon Use Instapay for Transfers Across 30 African Countries

The Pan-African Payment and Settlement System plans to connect with Egypt’s Instapay platform, expanding instant cross-border transfers between Egypt and other African markets.

PAPSS CEO Mike Ogablu outlined the planned integration during the 2026 Middle East & Africa Conference in Cairo, held from September 7th to 9th.

Instapay operates through Egypt’s national Instant Payment Network under the oversight of the Central Bank of Egypt, while PAPSS provides infrastructure for cross-border African payments and trade using local currencies. The system currently operates across 30 African countries and is integrated with more than 200 commercial banks, payment providers and fintech companies, as well as around 16 domestic payment switches.

Ogablu said connecting PAPSS with all Egyptian banks is another priority, with six banks currently seeking final Central Bank approvals to complete their integration.

According to PAPSS, linking the system with Instapay could raise the share of cross-border payments originating from Egypt to around 60% to 70% over the next five years as participation expands.

The system says it has reduced the cost of intra-African transfers by up to 95% and cut processing times from three to five days to a maximum of 120 seconds, with transactions currently averaging around seven seconds.

PAPSS also reported that transaction volume increased by around 1,000% in 2026 compared with the previous year, while total transaction value rose by approximately 120%.

The Central Bank of Egypt joined PAPSS in November 2024. Afreximbank and PAPSS are also pursuing connections with payment networks outside Africa, with discussions underway involving systems in the UAE, India and China.