Chances are you’ve seen somebody in a Hollywood film pay for espresso by tapping their cellphone or card and strolling away. CashAfrica, a Nigerian fintech offering contactless cost infrastructure, desires to make that the brand new checkout routine at Chicken Republic, the Nigerian quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain run by Food Concepts.
What occurred? CashAfrica has partnered with Food Concepts to introduce cellular tap-to-pay throughout 350 retailers run by the restaurant chain. Customers with suitable telephones, resembling these with near-field communication (NFC) tech, and supported banking or fintech apps will be capable of faucet their units at PalmPay’s point-of-sale (PoS) terminals.
CashAfrica supplies the contactless know-how, whereas ChamsSwitch, a Nigerian cost switching firm, routes transactions between monetary establishments. The rollout will start in Lagos earlier than increasing to Abuja and different places.
Explain like I’m new right here: Nigeria has been transferring in direction of digital funds for years, however tapping a cellphone—or card—to pay shouldn’t be but the default. In 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced a plan to facilitate contactless funds, later noting that over 12 million contactless payment cards had been in circulation by November 2025.
Why aren’t Nigerians tapping in every single place already? Most Nigerians pay with financial institution transfers, money, or the acquainted card-and-PIN technique. Even the place contactless funds are doable, there was little concerted effort to make tapping a acquainted choice at checkout. Tap-to-pay know-how wants Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled units—a wi-fi know-how that lets two units positioned shut collectively alternate info. NFC-enabled PoS terminals and suitable telephones exist already in Nigeria. The exhausting work is in getting banks and fintechs to help the service, giving retailers a motive to supply it, and making clients conscious they will faucet to pay in the primary place.
What’s completely different now? CashAfrica has already learnt that getting the know-how to work is barely a part of the problem. The firm said earlier integration discussions with PalmPay, AltBank, and Sterling Bank stalled amid prolonged due diligence and regulatory issues. Financial establishments wanted assurance that the infrastructure met their compliance necessities earlier than integrating it.
Can Chicken Republic instil the behavior? With greater than 350 retailers, the restaurant chain provides the corporate a probability to place tap-to-pay in entrance of consumers throughout on a regular basis transactions. However, if CashAfrica desires the service to catch on at scale, clients want entry via the banking and fintech apps they already use. They additionally must know the choice exists, which implies consumer consciousness. Tap-to-pay must work safely and reliably, defending retailers from fraudulent chargebacks and giving clients an authenticated technique to request refunds when a transaction goes incorrect. Get these fundamentals proper, and CashAfrica has a higher probability of constructing tapping a behavior slightly than a novelty.
