“Can an African payments aggregator turn merchant transaction data into an embedded credit and financial-services platform for SMEs?”
Pesapal began in 2009 as a Kenyan online payments aggregator bridging cards and mobile money (notably M-Pesa). Over time it built out POS hardware, an online checkout/API, and vertical products (Ticketsasa for events, Reserveport for hospitality, SABI POS). In 2024–2025 it moved beyond pure acceptance into embedded credit via a partnership with Sokohela, leveraging merchant transaction data to underwrite working-capital loans — positioning itself as a financial OS for African SMEs rather than just a payment gateway.
Pesapal processes payments through Pesapal Payment Gateway (self-operated), M-Pesa acceptance (self-operated), Visa acceptance (self-operated), Mastercard acceptance (self-operated), Pesapal POS (self-operated) and Pesapal Online Checkout (self-operated).
Pesapal integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Oracle Hospitality (Micros), Compulynx and Microsoft AMX.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 3 layers in Pesapal's stack: Payments / PSP (Pesapal Payment Gateway (self-operated), M-Pesa acceptance (self-operated), Visa acceptance (self-operated), Mastercard acceptance (self-operated) and 2 others); Lending (Pesapal Credit); Accounting (Shopify, WooCommerce, Oracle Hospitality (Micros), Compulynx and 1 other).
Pesapal was founded by Agosta Liko and is founded in 2009, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Pesapal and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.