In Nigeria’s cutthroat fintech house, one funds platform is carving out a distinction by doing extra than simply shifting cash; it’s constructing customizable sector-driven options. Stanbic IBTC’s Zest is quickly rising as the popular funds associate for companies that demand excess of primary transaction companies.
Traditional banks carry stability, and challenger fintechs carry agility. Zest combines each. Launched in October 2023, it instantly supplied a multi-rail funds gateway supporting playing cards, QR, {bank} accounts, USSD, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. But its actual edge lies in fixing sensible operational issues distinctive to every enterprise vertical.
“It is not just about enabling payments,” notice observers monitoring Zest’s enlargement, “it is the sector-led solutioning and customisation that truly set it apart.” Recognising that companies differ broadly in how they function, Zest operates a sector-first design that gives superior options like direct debits, tokenization, subscription billing, and customizable ledger constructions.
Their embedded digital enablement, turnkey eCommerce stacks, so that companies can go browsing rapidly, is an actual game-changer for brick-and-mortar conventional companies.
According to CEO Stanley Jacob, “while the payments gateway allows plug-and-play for SMEs, Zest’s ambition is to build domain-specific solutions that will reshape payments across Nigeria and Africa.”
- In the power sector, massive operators now use Zest’s aggregator module. This integrates transaction knowledge with stock metrics throughout a number of fuel stations, providing close to real-time enterprise intelligence.
- For FMCG chains, multi-outlet manufacturers acquire refined visibility through Zest’s enterprise dashboards, enabling higher operational management and gross sales monitoring.
- In logistics, ports & transport, and training, Zest’s configurable ledger and reconciliation instruments have streamlined cost assortment and back-office accounting.
This emphasis on operational worth, past mere transaction processing, would be the differentiator that endures. For companies trying to streamline operations and elevate buyer expertise, it’s a compelling playbook; one constructed on deeper integration, customization, and area intelligence.
The Zest mannequin is quick gaining momentum as processed worth of funds in H1 2025 grew 20x when in comparison with H1 2024 leading to a income development of 14x inside the identical interval.
