PayGenius Expands Across Africa While Powering Seamless Payments for Businesses

Mandilakhe Somdle
5 days ago
3 min read

Portait of the CEO of Adashi, Ahmed. — IMAGE CAPTION: PayGenius Team. *Image: Supplied /* P ayGenius

Africa’s fintech scene is buzzing and if payments are the lifeblood of business, then PayGenius is quietly building the arteries.

In a recent Wired conversation with Mandilakhe Somdle, Sebastien Lacour Co-founder and CEO of PayGenius, unpacked how the company is scaling across the continent, tackling complexity head-on, and making it just a little easier for businesses to get paid (which, as it turns out, is quite important).

What is PayGenius?

For those who don't know, PayGenius is an online payment processor built for Africa, helping merchants, from e-commerce stores to safari operators, accept payments through cards, bank transfers, and mobile money. And yes, that includes the kind of mobile money ecosystems you see in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria, where digital wallets often beat wallets-in-your-pocket. By integrating directly into merchant systems, PayGenius doesn’t just help you get paid, it makes sure you actually know you’ve been paid, without chasing spreadsheets at midnight.

Navigating Africa’s Fragmented Payment Landscape

If you think payments are complicated, try doing them across 50+ countries, each with its own rules, currencies, and “preferred” way of doing things. PayGenius tackles this by partnering with local fintech players to support everything from M-Pesa to instant bank transfers. The upside? Rapid expansion. The downside? Keeping the experience consistent when every market plays by slightly different rules. It’s a bit like trying to run the same app on 20 different operating systems, while they’re all updating.

Strong Traction in Travel and Cross-Border Payments

One space where PayGenius really shines is travel and hospitality. Think hotels, tour operators, and online travel agencies, businesses where customers are often paying from a completely different country (and timezone, and currency, and sometimes planet, judging by exchange rates).

PayGenius smooths this out by letting customers pay in their own currency while merchants receive funds in theirs. No mental math, no guesswork, just fewer abandoned bookings and happier finance teams.

Expansion into East Africa

After building a solid base in South Africa, PayGenius is setting its sights on East Africa, with Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania leading the charge. The team has already started onboarding merchants and crucially, is putting people on the ground. Because as it turns out, building trust via email alone in a new market is… optimistic at best.

Building Trust Through Local Presence and Partnerships

In fintech, trust isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s the whole game. PayGenius is leaning into local expertise, partnerships, and good old-fashioned word-of-mouth. Happy customers bring more customers, which is still the most effective marketing strategy ever invented (and conveniently the cheapest).

Engaging the Ecosystem: AfricArena Nairobi Summit

PayGenius is also stepping into the spotlight as a sponsor of the AfricArena Nairobi Summit. For the team, it’s not just about visibility, it’s about meeting founders, partners, and fellow fintech players who are all trying to solve similar problems (or at least complain about the same regulations).

The summit offers a chance to build relationships, explore collaborations, and remind the ecosystem that PayGenius is more than just a payment processor, it’s a payment partner.

Looking Ahead: Innovation and Growth

Like any fintech worth its API keys, PayGenius is keeping an eye on blockchain and stablecoins. Faster, cheaper cross-border payments? Hard to ignore. While the space is still evolving, the potential is clear, especially in regions where currency volatility makes stability feel like a luxury.

Final Thoughts

Scaling fintech in Africa isn’t for the faint-hearted. It takes adaptability, patience, and a willingness to embrace complexity (and occasionally regulatory headaches). But PayGenius is proving that with the right mix of partnerships, local insight, and solid technology, it’s possible to turn that complexity into opportunity, and maybe even make payments feel simple along the way.

Want to Be Part of the Next Big Thing?

Whether you’re a startup founder looking to raise capital, a corporate ready to collaborate, or just someone who loves being in the room where Africa’s future happens, we’ve got a seat for you.

Apply to the AfricArise Program: pitch at one of our regional summits and get access to investors, partners, and accelerators across the continent.
Join us at the AfricArena Nairobi Summit 2026, happening 29–30 April, where Africa’s boldest founders, top investors, and ecosystem builders gather for two days of pure innovation energy.
Secure your Early bird tickets for Nairobi here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/africarena-nairobi-summit-2026-tickets-1980540202059?aff=oddtdtcreator