Namclear has joined a regional payments system that will allow money to move across Southern African borders almost instantly, following a new agreement with PayInc.
The move brings Namibia into a digital payment network designed to make cross-border transfers faster, easier and more efficient for banks, businesses and consumers.
The integration places Namibia within a SADC-backed system designed to process low-value cross-border payments in near real time, addressing longstanding delays and inefficiencies in regional transactions.
Under the agreement, Namclear will connect local banks and authorised non-bank financial institutions to the TCIB network, enabling immediate clearing of single credit “push” payments. While settlement remains deferred, users will experience near-instant fund transfers across borders.
The TCIB platform, led by the SADC Bankers’ Association, forms part of a broader push to modernise payment systems under the SADC Finance and Investment Protocol, with a focus on interoperability, speed and cost reduction.
PayInc, as the regional clearing and settlement system operator, provides the infrastructure that enables transactions to move seamlessly between member countries. Namclear will act as the technical gateway for Namibian participants, expanding access to the regional payments ecosystem.
Namclear Managing Director Fabian Tait said the move aligns with efforts to deliver interoperable, user-focused payment solutions.
He said the rollout of TCIB services will allow consumers and businesses to send and receive money across borders, including between Namibia, South Africa and other Common Monetary Area countries, with significantly improved speed and reliability.
Beyond basic clearing, Namclear plans to introduce additional services aligned with the TCIB roadmap, including fraud management, anti-money laundering and sanctions screening, request-to-pay functionality and bulk real-time payments.
PayInc Head of TCIB Meera Sunker said the onboarding of Namclear strengthens the scale and reach of the platform.
“By bringing Namclear into the ecosystem, we are scaling access to immediate clearing capabilities and enabling more banks and financial institutions to participate in a modern, interoperable payments network, moving us closer to a truly connected regional system,” she said.
“This collaboration strengthens our ability to support trade, remittances, and everyday transactions between markets like Namibia, South Africa and beyond. We are building infrastructure that the region can rely on, and partnerships like this are what turn that infrastructure into real economic impact,” Sunker said.
The expansion is expected to support the next phase of digital finance in the region, with future interoperability planned across the East African Community and COMESA, as African payment systems move towards greater integration.
