Paystack Adds PesaLink Transfers to Kenyan Checkout
Paystack integrates Kenya’s PesaLink rail into checkout so merchants can accept instant bank transfers from customers alongside existing options.
Paystack has integrated Kenya’s PesaLink real-time interbank network into its checkout page and API, enabling Kenyan businesses to accept instant bank-to-bank payments 24/7.
The move extends an earlier partnership that used the same rail for merchant settlements since 2025 into full incoming customer payments.
Customers at checkout now see a “Pay with PesaLink” option, receive Paystack-presented bank details and a unique reference, then transfer via their bank app or USSD. PesaLink matches the reference and marks the payment successful instantly on Paystack. The rail connects over 80 financial institutions and supports transfers up to KES 999,999 per transaction. Paystack lists the feature as live alongside M-Pesa, Airtel Money, cards, and Apple Pay.
Paystack previously relied on PesaLink only for outbound merchant payouts. The new integration lets the same infrastructure handle collection, confirmation, settlement, and reconciliation in one workflow. Status pages confirm PesaLink powers both incoming customer payments and transfers to banks, with maintenance notices covering both directions through November 2026.
The partnership builds on PesaLink’s expansion through other fintech links. In September 2025 PesaLink teamed with NALA and Equity Bank for diaspora remittances. It later connected with TendePay for instant business payments and with Cellulant’s Tingg platform for direct bank-account payments. Paystack’s earlier “Pay with M-PESA Till” product showed the same pattern of folding local rails into unified checkout and payout tools.
Stripe acquired Paystack in October 2020 for more than $200 million. The company continues to operate independently while expanding across African markets with infrastructure-focused products rather than isolated payment methods.
Kenyan merchants gain faster cash flow and lower operational friction because bank transfers now flow through the same system used for reconciliation. High-value B2B transactions that prefer bank rails over cards or mobile money become easier to process without separate workflows. Competitors that still treat each payment method as a separate button face pressure to match the integrated approach.
Paystack company statement: “We’re excited to partner with Pesalink to bring instant bank transfers to businesses in Kenya! Kenyan businesses can accept instant, secure bank payments with Pesalink, directly on Paystack Checkout or through the API.”
Merchants should monitor transaction volume on the new rail and any maintenance windows listed on Paystack’s Kenya PesaLink status page. Regulators have issued no new directives; the partnership uses existing IPSL infrastructure. Watch for similar extensions by other fintechs seeking to plug domestic fast-payment rails into pan-African checkout layers.
