South Africa

ISO ZA · 3 schemes

Summary

SnapScan pioneer (2013, 60K+ merchants)
Zapper competitor (2014)
Scan to Pay bank integration (Capitec)
RTC overlay UPI-style planned
90% cash still dominant

Banking landscape

Central Bank

Name: South African Reserve Bank (SARB)
Website: https://www.resbank.co.za/
Role: Monetary policy, payment oversight

Major Banks (2024)

Rank	Bank Name	Type	Digital Platform
1	Standard Bank	Local	Standard App
2	FirstRand/FNB	Local	FNB App
3	Absa	Local	Absa App
4	Nedbank	Local	Nedbank App
5	Capitec	Local	Capitec App

Market Structure

SnapScan: Standard Bank-backed
Zapper: Independent fintech
90%: Cash-based payments
RTC: Real-time clearing (2006)

Payment infrastructure

National Payment Systems

System	Operator	Type	Status
RTC	BankservAfrica	Real-time	Active (2006)
SnapScan	Standard Bank	QR	Active (2013)
Zapper	Independent	QR	Active (2014)
Pay@	Nedbank	QR	Active

RTC System

Launched 2006 (before UK Faster Payments)
Lower-value payments
Only 1% of electronic payments
B2B focused currently

Planned UPI-Style Overlay

PASA and BankservAfrica
RTC overlay system
Proxy + QR codes
Micro-merchant adoption goal
ISO 20022 by 2024

QR code standards

SnapScan

Attribute	Value
Launch	2013
Partner	Standard Bank
Merchants	60,000+
Fees	2.55%-2.95%

SnapScan Features

Mobile payment pioneer
QR code based
No monthly fees
No sign-up fee
Merchant onboarding

Zapper

Attribute	Value
Launch	2014
Type	Independent
Fees	2.5% per transaction
Monthly	R220/store

Zapper Features

QR + URL technology
Loyalty and rewards
Fast/easy/secure
Consumer discounts

Mobile payment apps

App	Provider	QR	Features
SnapScan	Standard Bank	Yes	Payments
Zapper	Independent	Yes	Loyalty
Capitec App	Capitec	Yes	Scan to Pay
Nedbank App	Nedbank	Yes	Scan to Pay

Capitec Scan to Pay

All major QR providers
SnapScan compatible
Zapper compatible
Masterpass compatible
Only bank with full coverage

Nedbank Scan to Pay

Pre-login access
Masterpass QR
Pay@ QR
SnapScan QR
Zapper QR
Utility bills supported

Pay@

Nedbank-backed
Micro-merchant focus
QR code payments
Growing traction

Schemes

Scheme	Type	Symbology	Adoption	Technical standard
SnapScan	Proprietary QR	App	60K+	`snapscan`
Zapper	Proprietary QR	App	Active	`zapper`
Scan to Pay	Bank QR	Multi	Capitec/Nedbank	`scan-to-pay`

Sources

Full country report

ZA-south-africa.md

Schemes

Standards

Primary · 5

Mentioned · 2