Enterprise DLT Clearing

The PayFi Solution

A single shared DLT ledger for interbank clearing with instant settlement direct to the SARB — purpose-built for Africa’s digital banking ecosystem.

Two Core Capabilities

How PayFi Works

PayFi is built on two foundational capabilities that together deliver a complete interbank clearing solution for digital-first banks.

01

Real-Time Peer to Peer Clearing 

Instant inter-bank clearing on a shared DLT ledger — delivering true real-time settlement without the delays of traditional batch-processing infrastructure.

→No batch delays or overnight processing windows
→No manual reconciliation required between banks
→Real-time sender ID sharing across the network
→Reduced fraud exposure through transaction transparency

02

Direct SARB Atomic Settlement

The SARB is introducing a DLT WCBDC project which enables the potential for another DLT clearing solution to atomically settle Interbank clearing obligations.

→Atomic swaps resolve clearing obligations in one transaction
→Direct settlement with the South African Reserve Bank
→Operates within the SARB multi-operator framework
→Risk-free finality on every transaction

Network Architecture

A Single Shared Ledger

PayFi’s architecture connects digital banks on a permissioned shared ledger with direct settlement at the SARB.

PayFi Clearing Network — Simplified Flow

Bank A
Sender
→
PayFi Shared DLT Ledger
→
Bank B
Receiver
↕
SARB DLT Settlement Layer

Clearing and atomic settlement completed in a single, real-time transaction

Benefits for Digital Banks

✓
Immediate liquidity — funds available instantly upon clearing
✓
Radically reduced cost — cost for clearing are transparent and small
✓
No reconciliation overhead — the shared ledger is the single source of truth
✓
Lower operational costs — fewer intermediaries in the clearing path
✓
Enhanced fraud detection — sender ID embedded in every transaction
✓
Straightforward onboarding — designed for easy bank integration

PayFi provides neo banks with a new peer to peer clearing solution within the SARB’s multi-operator framework — extending the national payment infrastructure for the digital banking era.

Payment Focus

Initial focus on sender push payments — domestic EFT credit transfers using the pacs.008 flow, where the sender’s bank initiates a payment directly to the creditor’s bank with capability to integrate all interbank payment streams under one ledger solution.

With PayFi

✓
Real-time clearing — transactions clear instantly
✓
Single shared ledger — no reconciliation needed
✓
Direct SARB settlement — risk-free finality
✓
Sender ID with every payment — transparency built in
✓
Low fees — streamlined clearing path
✓
Open access — all qualifying participants welcome

Traditional Clearing

–

T+1 clearing — funds settle next business day

–

Multiple operators — complex reconciliations required

–

Indirect settlement — additional intermediary steps

–

Limited sender data — reduced transaction transparency

–

Higher costs — multiple operator fees in the chain

–

Limited access for smaller and newer participants

Our Vision

Become a pan-African clearing rail for banks across the continent

Explore the Technology

Learn about the enterprise-grade DLT infrastructure that powers PayFi.

PayFi

Enterprise DLT clearing infrastructure for digital banks across Africa.

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