Hyderabad, India, October 12, 2026: Indian fintech company Viyona Fintech is planning to roll out its Tap & Pay platform in Zimbabwe, marking its proposed entry point into sub-Saharan Africa as it looks to expand its digital payments technology across the continent. The company is currently in discussions with the Government of Zimbabwe to support this strategic rollout.
The Hyderabad-based fintech startup, an NPCI-certified Technology Service Provider (TSP), is currently in discussions with the Government of Zimbabwe to support the planned rollout. The expansion aims to make contactless payments more accessible to merchants by enabling commercial Android smartphones to function as payment terminals, potentially reducing the need for dedicated point-of-sale (POS) hardware.
Viyona’s proposed African expansion comes amid growing interest in digital payment infrastructure across the continent, with Zimbabwe emerging as the company’s initial target market.
At the centre of the planned expansion is Viyona Tap & Pay, an NFC-based SoftPOS solution designed to turn compatible commercial Android smartphones into contactless payment acceptance devices.
The technology is intended to help small businesses and micro-merchants accept digital payments without investing in dedicated POS terminals, which can add to the cost of adopting electronic payment systems.
By using existing smartphone hardware, the platform aims to lower the barriers to merchant acceptance and extend digital payment capabilities to a wider range of businesses.
Viyona plans to work with local acquiring banks, payment service providers (PSPs) and merchant networks in Zimbabwe to explore integration opportunities for the initial rollout.
The company’s commercial launch plans remain subject to the necessary payment network certifications and regulatory clearances in the relevant markets.
Africa’s Digital Payments Market Attracts Interest for Viyona Fintech
Viyona is positioning Zimbabwe as its entry point into sub-Saharan Africa as the country continues to develop its digital payments ecosystem.
The company’s plans coincide with ongoing negotiations between the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) over the potential licensing of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) technology as a national payment rail.
UPI is India’s real-time digital payments system, enabling transfers between bank accounts through participating payment applications. Its potential adoption in Zimbabwe reflects wider interest in digital payment infrastructure developed in India.
Against this backdrop, Viyona aims to provide the merchant-facing technology that can help businesses accept digital payments alongside the infrastructure used to process and route transactions.
While national payment switches facilitate the movement and clearing of transactions, widespread adoption also depends on merchants having accessible ways to accept electronic payments. Viyona’s Tap & Pay platform is designed to address this part of the payments ecosystem.
The company sees opportunities to work with financial institutions and payment service providers to connect merchant acceptance technology with the relevant payment networks.
The planned expansion comes as Africa’s instant payments sector continues to grow. According to the AfricaNenda Foundation’s State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems in Africa 2025 report, instant payment systems across the continent processed approximately $2 trillion in transaction value across 64 billion transactions in 2024.
The report also identified 36 live instant payment systems across 31 African countries as of June 2025, highlighting the expanding role of instant payments in the region’s financial ecosystem.
For fintech companies, this growth presents opportunities to develop technologies that connect financial institutions, businesses and consumers to digital payment networks.
Viyona’s proposed entry into Zimbabwe reflects a strategy focused on merchant acceptance infrastructure, particularly solutions designed to reduce the cost and complexity of accepting digital payments.
If successfully rolled out, Tap & Pay could offer an alternative to dedicated POS devices for eligible merchants, subject to local requirements, supported payment methods and the necessary approvals.
Founded in 2022, Viyona Fintech develops digital banking infrastructure, switch management systems and merchant payment technologies.
The company holds NPCI certifications across UPI Switch, eKYC Setu, IMPS, eNACH and Bharat Connect. It says its experience in routing and scaling UPI-compliant platforms positions it to provide integration-ready merchant acceptance technology to banks, central banks and payment service providers.
Viyona aims to use this experience to support payment infrastructure development in markets exploring digital payment systems based on Indian technology.
The company’s approach focuses on complementing payment switches with tools that enable merchants to participate in digital commerce, rather than replacing the underlying national payment infrastructure.
Viyona plans to roll out Tap & Pay across India and selected African markets, including its proposed initial entry into Zimbabwe. The timing of commercial deployment will depend on payment network certifications, regulatory clearances and integration with relevant local partners.
Discussions with the Government of Zimbabwe are ongoing, and the company has identified local acquiring banks, PSPs and merchant networks as potential partners for its initial African expansion.
“Our focus is providing scalable digital infrastructure that reduces capital expenditure for merchants,” said Ravindranath Yarlagadda, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Viyona Fintech.
He described Zimbabwe as a potential testing ground for the technology, citing the country’s reported high digital payment adoption and more than ZiG200 billion in monthly electronic transactions.
The company hopes to use its initial market entry as a foundation for broader regional expansion.
As African markets continue to develop their digital payment ecosystems, Viyona’s planned rollout will place its smartphone-based merchant acceptance technology in a market where digital financial infrastructure is attracting growing attention.
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Hyderabad, India, Viyona Fintech builds digital banking infrastructure, switch management systems and merchant payment technologies. The company holds NPCI certifications across UPI Switch, eKYC Setu, IMPS, eNACH and Bharat Connect.
