EBANX is the first global payments company to launch recurring payments through OPay in Nigeria

“With one of the continent’s highest mobile penetration rates and a young, fast-growing population, Nigeria is expected to remain Africa’s largest and most strategic digital market over the next decade,” said Eduardo de Abreu, Chief Product Officer (CPO) of EBANX. “Being the first global payments company to go live with recurring payments through OPay is a testament to the access EBANX has built in emerging markets.”

Nigeria is Africa’s largest e-commerce market, valued at USD 30 billion, according to World Data Lab (WDL) data analyzed by EBANX, and is expected to grow further, with the country projected to add 32 million new consumers to the consumer class by 2036.

In Nigeria, credit card ownership stands at just 5% among adults, while mobile phone penetration reaches 84%, according to the World Bank. “This difference creates a significant opportunity for global merchants to expand recurring payment coverage beyond traditional card-on-file models,” stated Abreu.

According to WDL, 95% of all online spend in Nigeria already comes from consumers without a credit card, a share expected to remain nearly unchanged for the next 10 years.

Digital wallets and bank transfers are Nigerians’ preferred way to pay, together accounting for 65% of the country’s e-commerce volume, according to Payment and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI) data analyzed by EBANX.

OPay lets Nigerian consumers make purchases through its digital wallet and bank transfers, as well as set up recurring payments. For these transactions, users make a one-time authorization directly in the app, enabling global merchants to collect future subscription charges without requiring customers to be present or re-enter payment details for every transaction.

“Our partnership with EBANX isn’t just processing transactions; it’s shaping the future of digital payments across the region,” said Elizabeth Wang, Chief Commercial Officer, OPay. “This will give Nigerians an easy, fast and convenient way to pay for the global digital services they love, from streaming platforms to online tools. With OPay Direct Debit, customers can enjoy a simple payment experience while staying in control of their subscriptions,” added Wang.

Scaling subscriptions in Africa and beyond

The announcement follows a similar EBANX initiative in South Africa, where Canva became the first international company to offer recurring payments through Capitec Pay’s account-to-account solution. With the integration, the SaaS merchant expanded subscription access for South African consumers via their bank accounts. EBANX’s integration of OPay Direct Debit extends this same alternative recurring strategy to Nigeria.

“Nigeria is the latest proof point on how EBANX scales operationally across emerging markets, not by replicating a single playbook, but by building the right integration for each local market,” said Marin Mignot, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of EBANX.

“The gap between how people actually pay and the payment methods merchants have historically supported is exactly where we see the most room to grow, and OPay Direct Debit is one more example of building that bridge for global merchants,” noted Mignot.

The launches in Nigeria and South Africa are also part of a broader global push. Including these two countries, EBANX offers recurring alternative payment solutions in 13 emerging markets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, enabling global merchants to potentially reach more than 1 billion consumers* who rely on local payment methods such as digital wallets and account-to-account transfers.

*1.116 billion people use alternative payment methods (APMs) across the following 13 emerging markets, based on data from the operators of the most used APMs in each country and Statista: Nigeria (OPay), South Africa (Capitec Pay),Brazil (Pix), India (UPI), Colombia (Nequi), Peru (Yape), the Philippines (GCash), Indonesia (DANA), Malaysia (TrueMoney), Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay (Mercado Pago).

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