Zest Payments Ltd., a Nigerian fintech unit of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, has partnered with Huawei Cloud to scale its payment infrastructure as digital transaction volumes surge across Africa’s largest economy.
The collaboration is designed to improve system performance, enhance security, and ensure regulatory compliance as businesses increasingly rely on digital payments for everyday operations.
Zest operates a multi-rail payment platform supporting cards, bank transfers, USSD, and QR codes, alongside sector-specific solutions for industries ranging from education and oil and gas to FMCG and micro-merchant services. The company also offers digital storefronts and a biller hub that enable merchants to manage online transactions and offer additional services to customers.
Rapid growth in user demand had placed pressure on the fintech’s traditional IT systems, particularly in scalability and operational stability, prompting a shift to cloud-based infrastructure.
“With Huawei Cloud, we can deliver secure, scalable, and reliable payment services during peak periods while preparing for future innovation,” Zest Chief Executive Officer Stanley Jacob said in a statement.
The company said the migration has boosted platform performance by about 30 percent, cut cloud-related costs by roughly half, and improved overall system stability. Zest added that the infrastructure meets Central Bank of Nigeria requirements and PCI-DSS security standards.
The partnership comes as Nigeria continues to push for broader digital economy adoption, with fintech firms playing a central role in expanding access to electronic payments.
Zest said it plans to explore artificial intelligence-driven services with Huawei Cloud as it seeks to build a more resilient and intelligent payment platform.
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