Paystack and Pesalink Strengthen Collaboration for Streamlined Business Payments

Paystack has expanded its partnership with Pesalink to enable Kenyan businesses to accept direct bank transfers through their checkout pages. This integration builds upon a previous collaboration focused on merchant settlements, extending it to customer payments.

The new functionality allows businesses to collect, reconcile, and settle transactions within a single banking infrastructure—the same rail that Paystack has used since 2025 for distributing payouts to merchants now handles incoming funds as well. This approach reflects a broader trend in Africa’s fintech landscape where companies are competing on payment infrastructure rather than simply adding new payment methods.

“As demand grows for faster and more reliable payment collection across SMEs, online merchants, and B2B companies, integrated payment infrastructure is removing friction between customer intent and business revenue,” Pesalink stated via LinkedIn. The expansion leverages existing shared infrastructure; Paystack has already utilized Pesalink to settle merchant payouts since 2025.

Key Features of the Integration

  • Customers selecting Pesalink at checkout receive a unique bank account number and one-time payment reference
  • Transfers are completed through the customer’s banking app
  • Payments are automatically confirmed once the amount matches the reference

This latest development marks a strategic repositioning for both companies. While Paystack initially introduced Pay with Pesalink as another checkout option, it now views Pesalink as essential payment infrastructure.

Pesalink itself has been expanding its reach, recently partnering with the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System to facilitate cross-border transfers in Kenyan shillings. The company connects over 80 banks and savings co-operatives across Kenya.

Paystack’s approach mirrors its broader strategy of adapting payment solutions to local market preferences. In South Africa, it integrated Capitec Pay to allow customers to approve transactions directly within their banking apps. In Nigeria, the company launched an AI agent pilot that enables purchases through platforms like Claude and ChatGPT.