EBANX expands open banking reach with Capitec Pay integration

By Vriti Gothi

EBANX, a FinTech company enabling payments across emerging markets, has integrated Capitec Pay, South Africa’s open banking–based real-time payment solution. This launch represents EBANX’s first open banking initiative beyond Brazil and positions the company among the first global payment service providers (PSPs) to offer Capitec Pay for cross-border eCommerce.

Developed by Capitec Bank, Capitec Pay is South Africa’s first large-scale implementation of open banking account-to-account (A2A) payments. Through EBANX, international merchants spanning online retail, subscription services, gaming, streaming, and SaaS can now provide South African consumers with secure, instant, and frictionless digital payment experiences.

The scale and reach of Capitec Pay are significant. The solution opens cross-border commerce to 24 million users, including 13 million mobile app customers—in a market where just 10% of adults hold a credit card, according to World Bank data. EBANX internal figures highlight its strong performance, with conversion rates above 85%, consistently surpassing those of credit cards and most alternative payment methods.

“South Africa stands out as one of Africa’s fastest-growing digital markets, with a digital commerce penetration rate of 73% and an expected annual growth rate of 18% through 2027,” said Wiza Jalakasi, Director of Africa Expansion at EBANX, citing research from Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI) published in EBANX’s Beyond Borders 2025. “By integrating Capitec Pay, we are increasing access for over 20 million South African consumers to global digital commerce and enabling merchants to tap into a tech-savvy, mobile-first audience.”

“Our partnership with EBANX marks a significant step in democratizing access to global digital commerce for South Africans,” said Chris Zietsman, Executive Head: Capitec Business Payments. “Capitec Pay was built on the premise of empowering our customers with secure, convenient, and real-time payment options. With EBANX, we are not only extending this commitment to cross-border transactions but also setting a new standard for open banking in the region.”

Capitec Pay is designed around customer consent and secure APIs, enabling consumers to initiate payments directly from their bank accounts without cards or intermediaries. Transactions are authenticated through the Capitec mobile app, giving users full control over their payment flow while eliminating the need to share sensitive financial details. For merchants, this translates into lower fraud risks, faster settlement, and reduced costs compared with traditional card schemes.

The platform also supports Variable Recurring Payments (VRP), a feature that allows customers to safely authorise subscriptions and other repeat payments, enhancing flexibility for both consumers and merchants.