Cross Switch, a global payments technology company, has announced a new partnership with South African fintech firm Paysoft to enhance the reliability, speed, and scalability of digital transactions across South Africa. The collaboration aims to address persistent inefficiencies within the local payment infrastructure, including downtime, delayed fund settlements, and limited interoperability. By integrating Cross Switch’s orchestration platform, CS+, into Paysoft’s system, the two companies plan to build a more resilient and future-ready digital payments landscape.
Aligning to Serve South African Businesses
This alliance brings together complementary strengths, with Cross Switch bringing global infrastructure and Paysoft offering over a decade of localized, bank-agnostic solutions. Founded in 2012, Paysoft has become a trusted payment partner to SMEs, corporates, and nonprofits in South Africa, while Cross Switch, established in 2022, has expanded its footprint across Africa and Latin America to enable modern payment flows. Their combined mission is to streamline transactions, reduce operational bottlenecks, and give local enterprises better tools for financial control and growth.
Technology Integration with a Business-First Approach
At the heart of the partnership is the integration of Cross Switch’s CS+ platform into Paysoft’s processing system, allowing for faster and more reliable routing of card payments, electronic funds transfers (EFTs), and digital wallets like Apple Pay. This orchestration layer enables transactions to be processed across multiple banks and providers, dramatically reducing friction, minimizing downtime, and helping prevent fraud. In addition, the platform supports 24/7 transaction processing and automated settlements, improving overall cash flow and stability for end-users.
Supporting SMEs, Payroll Providers, and NPOs
The upgraded infrastructure specifically benefits South Africa’s small and medium-sized businesses, payroll administrators, and non-profit organizations—groups that often encounter high processing fees, regulatory complexity, and cash flow challenges. With CS+, these stakeholders can now experience real-time payments and automated settlements, reducing administrative overhead and allowing more time to focus on core operations. Paysoft’s white-label flexibility also means its partners can brand and resell payment tools tailored to their customer base, supporting a broader fintech ecosystem.
Advancing Financial Inclusion Through Impact-Driven Solutions
Beyond commercial use cases, the partnership also enhances support for non-profit organizations via Paysoft Impact, a fundraising platform designed to facilitate real-time processing of donations and recurring contributions. This capability enables NPOs to operate more efficiently while deepening donor engagement through reliable, transparent financial flows. Both companies emphasize that financial inclusion and social impact are central to their mission, and the partnership is a step forward in aligning fintech with economic empowerment.
Leadership Perspective and Vision for the Future
Mark Chirnside, Global CRO and CEO Africa at Cross Switch, highlighted the value of collaborating with a local partner that understands the challenges faced by South African businesses. He emphasized that building robust infrastructure in emerging markets is key to unlocking economic opportunity at scale. Rika Kruger, CEO at Paysoft, echoed this sentiment, stating that the integration allows them to offer their clients better uptime, faster transaction processing, and simplified routing—all crucial for sustainable business growth.
Through their joint capabilities, Cross Switch and Paysoft are tackling the long-standing challenges that have limited the efficiency of South Africa’s digital payment systems. This partnership represents a significant step toward enabling real-time, scalable, and secure transactions that support a wide range of users, from growing SMEs to community-driven nonprofits. As both companies move forward, their collaboration is set to redefine what seamless payment experiences can look like in one of Africa’s most dynamic economies.