Tulupay unveils Pan-African financial operating system to bridge Web2, Web3 payments

Tulupay, a fintech inclusion holdings company, has announced the prelaunch of its Financial Operating System (FOS), a platform designed to unify Africa’s fragmented financial ecosystem by connecting traditional and digital payment infrastructures.

The company, which operates across multiple markets including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, and Estonia, said the system aims to integrate banking, mobile money, blockchain networks, and emerging digital asset frameworks into a single interoperable platform.

According to Tulupay, the FOS is positioned as a foundational infrastructure for the future of finance in Africa, enabling seamless interaction between fiat and digital currencies while improving efficiency in payments, remittances, and cross-border trade.

Felix Achibiri, founder of Tulupay highlighted the persistent challenges in Africa’s financial landscape, noting that fragmented payment systems and high remittance costs continue to hinder economic growth.

“Africa still struggles with fragmented payment rails, high remittance costs, and the absence of a single infrastructure that connects banks, mobile money, and blockchain networks,” Achibiri said. “The need for a unifying, interoperable operating system has never been more urgent.”

He added that the platform is being built to create a borderless financial system where money, identity, and assets can move seamlessly across the continent, positioning Africa to take advantage of its estimated $3.4 trillion trade potential under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The financial operating system includes several core components, such as a compliance and digital identity layer, an interoperability hub for payment systems, a trade gateway for cross-border commerce, and a unified wallet supporting both fiat and digital assets.

It also features a tokenisation and exchange infrastructure alongside a purpose-built blockchain network designed for regulatory compliance and financial use cases.

Lavina Ramkissoon, executive vice-president at Tulupay, described the platform as critical infrastructure for the continent’s evolving financial services sector.

“We are building the infrastructure that Africa’s future financial services will run on,” she stated.

The initiative is being developed in collaboration with global technology partners, including The Hashgraph Group, which supports the platform’s identity and trust framework using distributed ledger technology.

Stefan Deiss, co-founder and CEO of The Hashgraph Group, said Tulupay’s model combines advanced technologies with regulatory compliance to support institutional adoption across Africa’s digital economy.

The prelaunch also comes as Tulupay secures regulatory backing in Nigeria, having been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to participate in its FinTech Incubation Program.

The approval is expected to support the company’s efforts to obtain licenses for digital asset custody, tokenisation, and exchange services.

Tulupay noted that it is currently working with financial institutions, regulators, developers, and merchants through pilot programs ahead of a broader rollout.

With its interoperable approach, the company aims to reduce friction in cross-border transactions, enhance financial inclusion, and accelerate the integration of Africa’s financial systems into the global digital economy.