Merchants using Paystack in South Africa can now accept instant bank payments through Capitec Bank’s Capitec Pay, expanding real-time payment options for online businesses in the country.
The integration enables customers who bank with South African financial institution Capitec to pay directly from their accounts at checkout, without needing to enter card details. Payments are processed instantly, providing immediate confirmation to merchants and reducing the risk of failed or delayed transactions.
Capitec Pay is a direct bank payment solution that allows customers to authorise transactions securely via their banking app. By adding this method, Paystack merchants can offer an alternative to traditional card payments, aligning with growing consumer demand for faster and simpler digital checkout experiences.
South Africa has seen steady growth in account-to-account and instant payment adoption, driven by increased mobile banking usage and improvements in financial infrastructure. South Africa’s real‑time payments system (Real‑Time Clearing) has been active since 2006, and its usage continues to increase as digital payments gain traction. However, even greater adoption of real‑time bank transfers was faciliated by newer PayShap instant payment platform, launched in March 2023, allowing transfers using mobile proxies (ShapID) and bank accounts. Between its launch and early 2024, PayShap processed over 30 million transactions worth around R19.5 billion, with more banks joining the network over time.
The addition of Capitec Pay gives businesses access to one of the country’s largest retail banking customer bases. For merchants, instant bank payments can improve cash flow through real-time settlement notifications and lower the likelihood of chargebacks compared to card transactions.
For customers, the process removes the need to manually input card information, instead allowing secure authentication within their banking environment. Along with recent updates in the company’s consumer-focused payments app Zap, that translates to simplified everyday bank transfers and improved checkout experiences across Paystack’s merchant and partner network.
Paystack, which operates across multiple African markets, has been gradually expanding its local payment integrations to support businesses scaling across the continent. In 2025, the fintech integrated with Kenya’s real-time interbank network PesaLink to unlock direct bank payments 24/7, giving merchants faster cash flow and customers a simpler, card-free way to pay. The addition of Capitec Pay localises its South African payment stack and enhances checkout flexibility for merchants serving domestic customers.
