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 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

Interbank clearing obligations settled directly with the Reserve Bank via SARB DLT — delivering instant, risk-free final settlement with no intermediary exposure.

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 Reserve Bank level.

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
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 operates as a new clearing operator 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 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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