PawaPay and Deriv Expand Mobile Money Access Across Eight African Markets

African fintech platform PawaPay  has strengthened its collaboration with Deriv,  enabling mobile money deposits across eight African markets through a single integration. The partnership, launched in 2025, supports connectivity with major mobile money operators and is designed to expand into additional markets over time.

Deriv selected PawaPay to deliver mobile money services without sacrificing localisation or reliability, even as transaction volumes grow. Since the launch, Deriv has observed a measurable increase in mobile money transactions, accelerated by coordinated launch and education campaigns. The reliability of the integration has also reduced failed transactions and ensured predictable settlement—critical factors for a successful payment product.

PawaPay connects businesses to local payment methods across 20 African markets, handling processing, settlement, FX, and reconciliation for global platforms operating at scale. This enables Deriv users to fund their accounts using mobile money wallets they already use day-to-day.

“Mobile money is already deeply embedded in how people transact across Africa. The real challenge for companies expanding across multiple markets is running it reliably once volumes grow. Our role is to make sure payments remain predictable, so platforms can focus on their customers rather than managing operational detail.”

– Nikolai Barnwell, CEO, PawaPay

“Our partnership with PawaPay has been central to Deriv’s expansion across Africa. Their platform has proven reliable in markets where volatility is a real operational risk, their support team resolves issues quickly, and the integration has opened markets where we previously had no viable local payment option.”

– Derek Swift, Head of Client Funding Facilities, Deriv

With eight markets live and further rollout planned, the partnership underscores a focus on localisation, reliability, and sustainable expansion for mobile money services across Africa.