South Africa has one of the most advanced financial systems in Africa, yet millions of everyday transactions in townships and informal markets still happen in cash. From spaza shops and car washes to food vendors and street markets, cash remains the dominant way people pay not because digital payments are unavailable, but because they are often too expensive, complicated, or inaccessible for small merchants.

CoPay is changing that.

CoPay is a township-focused digital payments platform designed to help informal merchants move from cash-based transactions to simple, measurable digital payments using QR codes and instant bank transfers.

Our mission is simple: make digital payments accessible to every small business in South Africa.

The Problem: Cash Still Dominates Township Economies

Townships are vibrant economic hubs. Thousands of small businesses operate every day, serving millions of people. However, most of these businesses face three major challenges:

1. Cash is difficult to manage

Cash creates several operational problems for merchants:

• Risk of theft
• Time spent going to deposit money
• No transaction records
• Difficulty accessing loans or credit

Without transaction data, merchants remain financially invisible.

2. Traditional card payments are expensive

Card machines come with:

• Monthly rental fees
• Transaction fees
• Banking requirements
• Connectivity issues

For a small merchant selling R20 items, these costs often make card payments impractical.

3. Informal merchants are excluded from the digital economy

Most payment platforms are designed for formal businesses. Informal merchants often struggle with:

• Complex onboarding
• Business registration requirements
• Expensive hardware

As a result, millions of entrepreneurs remain locked out of digital finance.

The Solution: Simple QR Payments for Everyone

CoPay provides merchants with a simple QR code that customers can scan to pay instantly using their banking apps.

No card machine.
No expensive setup.
No complicated onboarding.

Just scan and pay.

How it works

1. A merchant signs up with CoPay.
2. They receive a CoPay QR code.
3. Customers scan the QR code using their banking app.
4. Payment is made instantly using PayShap or bank transfer.
5. The merchant receives the money directly in their bank account.

It’s fast, simple, and designed for everyday township commerce.

Built for the Informal Economy

CoPay is built specifically for environments where simplicity and accessibility matter most.

Merchant benefits

• Accept digital payments instantly
• No card machines required
• Reduce risk of cash theft
• Build a transaction history
• Increase customer convenience

Customer benefits

• Pay using their banking app
• No need to carry cash
• Faster checkout
• Secure transactions

For communities where small purchases happen frequently, CoPay enables frictionless payments for everyday transactions.

Supporting South Africa’s National Payments Vision

South Africa’s payments ecosystem is evolving rapidly with initiatives like PayShap, designed to enable real-time, low-cost payments.

CoPay complements these initiatives by helping drive adoption at the merchant level, especially in township economies where digital penetration is still low.

By enabling QR payments for informal merchants, CoPay helps:

• Increase digital transaction volumes
• Reduce reliance on cash
• Improve financial inclusion
• Strengthen the National Payments System

Our Pilot: Activating Township Commerce

CoPay is currently piloting a community activation campaign in Kwa-Thema to encourage digital payments among local merchants and customers.

The campaign aims to:

• Onboard hundreds of merchants
• Drive thousands of digital transactions
• Reward customers for paying digitally
• Demonstrate the power of cashless township commerce

Promotions such as free rewards for paying with CoPay help accelerate adoption while introducing customers to the convenience of QR payments.

The Bigger Vision

CoPay’s vision goes beyond simple payments.

We believe that digital transactions unlock opportunities for small businesses:

• Access to credit
• Financial insights
• Digital commerce tools
• Supply chain integrations
• Community loyalty programs

By digitizing township payments, we are laying the foundation for a new financial ecosystem built around small businesses.

Building the Future of Payments in Africa

Township economies are powerful engines of growth. With the right technology, they can become fully integrated into the digital financial system.

CoPay exists to bridge that gap.

One merchant.
One QR code.
One digital payment at a time.

CoPay
One Scan. Endless Payments.