Peach Payments Enters Francophone West Africa with PayDunya Acquisition, Unlocking Seamless Digital Payments Across UEMOA

Cape Town-based fintech company, Peach Payments, has officially acquired PayDunya, a leading digital payments provider in Senegal, in a move that marks its first major entry into Francophone West Africa. This acquisition extends Peach Payments’ presence to 12 African markets, reinforcing its position as one of the continent’s fastest-scaling payment platforms.

While the deal is pending final regulatory clearance, it already signals a significant shift in cross-border payment solutions across Africa’s fragmented financial ecosystem.

Why Francophone West Africa Is the Next Frontier for Fintech

Unlike Anglophone Africa, which has attracted billions in fintech investments, Francophone regions like Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon have long lagged due to language barriers, regulatory complexity, and infrastructure gaps. But that’s changing.

Peach Payments’ move into this region taps into a 450 million+ consumer base served under common economic unions like UEMOA and CEMAC, which offer standardized regulations and a shared currency (CFA Franc) — a rare advantage in scaling fintech solutions across borders.

What PayDunya Brings to the Table

Founded in 2015, PayDunya has established itself as a trusted platform offering a unified API for receiving and disbursing payments. The company supports mobile money, bank transfers, and card payments, streamlining financial operations for SMEs and large enterprises alike.

Its reach across six Francophone African countries makes it a powerful enabler for Peach Payments to offer seamless, localized digital payment solutions.

The Bigger Picture: Pan-African Integration and Financial Inclusion

According to Rahul Jain, CEO and co-founder of Peach Payments, the acquisition is a deliberate step toward building an inclusive digital economy across Africa.

“This isn’t just expansion. It’s about removing friction and building infrastructure that enables trade across African regions,” Jain stated.

The acquisition comes at a time when financial inclusion and cashless transactions are gaining traction, supported by regional governments and international development efforts. With this move, Peach Payments positions itself as a key player in enabling cross-border commerce and digital financial services in underserved markets.