The 21-member Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has rolled out its first interoperable cross-border payment system linking Malawi and Zambia, taking a major leap towards digital financial integration.
The initiative, known as the Digital Retail Payments Platform, enables traders and consumers in both countries to make instant, low-cost transactions in their local currencies without relying on scarce foreign exchange.
This marks the first successful demonstration of real-time regional payments under the supervision of the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) and the Bank of Zambia (BoZ).
currency settlements. | Eric Mtemang’ombe
Comesa chief operating officer Jonathan Pinifolo, a Malawians, said in an interview that the platform integrates both banks and non-bank financial players, including financial technology and mobile-money operators.
“The Digital Retail Payments Platform will remove dependency on hard-currency settlements and empower African traders to trade more efficiently, securely and inclusively,” he said, observing that Malawi’s early adopters include TNM Mpamba, FDH Bank and Finca Malawi.
The pilot phase, now active between Malawi and Zambia, builds on months of integration testing and collaboration among central banks, fintech providers and commercial banks.
For small-scale traders in Mchinji, a district that borders Zambia, the change could mean faster settlements and fewer risks associated with carrying cash across borders.
Regional leaders have hailed the development as a turning point for intra-African trade.
Comesa secretary-general Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe said the platform “offers speed, affordability and trust above all, dignity for the woman trader who can now travel safely without cash”.
Comesa chairperson William Ruto, who is Kenya President, urged member States to “invest in digital infrastructure and interoperable payment platforms to make our region the most efficient place for trade.”
He called on member states to “accelerate the adoption of electronic certificates of origin, integrated single window systems, and interoperable cross-border payment platforms to make our region the most efficient place for trade on our continent”.
The timing of the roll out coincides with a surge in digital finance adoption across Africa.
According to the World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 report, 61 percent of adults in developing economies now make or receive digital payments, with Sub-Saharan Africa recording the fastest growth.
In countries such as Kenya and Senegal, formal savings and merchant payments through mobile money have more than doubled since 2021, underscoring the region’s steady shift toward cash-light economies.
For Malawi—where mobile-money penetration remains below 45 percent and most cross-border transactions are still settled in US dollars—the DRPP offers a potential lifeline.
By allowing local-currency settlement, the platform could help conserve foreign exchange reserves and strengthen the kwacha’s regional utility
