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Global fintech company Nuvei has secured authorisation from the Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) to provide local merchant payment services in South Africa, strengthening its presence in one of Africa’s key digital commerce markets.
The authorisation expands Nuvei’s ability to support international brands entering South Africa and local businesses seeking to grow globally through its integrated payments platform. It also advances the company’s strategy of extending its payment infrastructure within domestic markets while providing businesses with access to payment services across multiple countries.
Nuvei expands local acquiring and payment acceptance
The South African authorisation forms part of Nuvei’s “Every Payment Everywhere” strategy, which focuses on helping businesses optimise payment performance in the markets where they operate.
By adding South Africa to its network, the company is extending its local acquiring and payment acceptance infrastructure, transaction data capabilities and operational controls to another major market. These services will be accessible through a single global platform.
Nuvei Chair and Chief Executive Officer Phil Fayer said the expansion would help businesses combine local payment capabilities with international reach.
“Commerce is global, but payment performance is local. Our expansion into South Africa is another step towards giving businesses access to locally optimized payment capabilities at global scale,” Fayer said.
He described South Africa as one of Africa’s most important digital commerce markets, adding that the company’s expanded presence would create opportunities for international businesses entering the region and South African companies pursuing global growth.
South Africa’s e-commerce market presents growth opportunities
Nuvei’s expansion comes as South Africa’s business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce market continues to grow, increasing the importance of reliable and locally adapted payment infrastructure.
Research published by PayNXT360 estimated that the market grew by 9.9% in 2025 to reach $8.48 billion. It is forecast to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% through 2029, reaching approximately $11.66 billion.
As digital commerce expands, businesses operating in the market face growing pressure to provide efficient checkout experiences and manage transaction costs, payment authorisations and fraud risks.
Nuvei’s local payment services are intended to help businesses address these requirements while managing their payment operations through its global platform.
Local processing could improve payment performance
Processing transactions domestically can offer advantages over cross-border acquiring, including potentially higher authorisation rates and lower processing costs. Access to local transaction data can also give businesses greater visibility into payment performance and support more targeted fraud management.
These capabilities can help merchants identify points of friction in the payment process and make adjustments to improve transaction outcomes.
For businesses already serving South African customers through cross-border payments, Nuvei’s local infrastructure offers a route towards a more locally optimised payment operation without requiring a separate gateway, acquiring relationship and reporting environment.
The approach is designed to allow businesses to adapt checkout experiences to local market expectations while managing authorisation, fraud prevention, reconciliation and reporting through a single platform.
Global payment infrastructure for businesses entering South Africa
International brands entering South Africa will be able to access Nuvei’s local payment capabilities through the same integration they use in other markets. Businesses already serving South African consumers from abroad can also use the platform to establish a more locally adapted payments operation.
The expansion strengthens Nuvei’s strategy of combining domestic payment capabilities with global infrastructure, allowing businesses to manage operations across markets without fragmenting their payment systems.
As South Africa’s e-commerce market grows, access to local acquiring and payment acceptance services is becoming increasingly relevant for merchants seeking to improve transaction performance and reach more consumers.
Nuvei’s authorisation adds to the payment infrastructure available to businesses operating in the market, with the company positioning its integrated platform as a way to manage local payment requirements alongside international expansion.
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