Nigerian fintech company Payaza has integrated with Lebara. The move puts Payaza in charge of the payments behind Lebara’s airtime, data, and other digital transactions in Nigeria. As a result, one of Africa’s fastest growing payment companies now backs a telecom brand that only recently entered the market.
Lebara entered Nigeria as a Tier 5 Mobile Virtual Network Operator. This is the highest license category under Nigeria’s telecom rules. The brand built its name abroad by selling voice and data bundles that match real usage. This differs from the prepaid credit systems many Nigerians already know. Lebara also secured full interconnectivity with the country’s major networks. So it arrived ready to compete with established players from day one.
Payaza’s role here goes beyond a simple vendor deal. Reports say the company signed an exclusive agreement to become Lebara’s sole payments provider in Nigeria. This gives Payaza full control over how subscribers pay for airtime, data, and other services. That level of exclusivity is rare in Nigeria’s payments space. Most fintechs only handle a slice of a telecom’s transactions. Payaza, instead, owns the entire rail.
The timing also fits Payaza’s fast growth. Total payment volume rose from 4.2 billion dollars in 2023 to 6.6 billion dollars in 2024. It then more than doubled to 13.5 billion dollars in 2025. This growth pushed Payaza’s valuation to 1.5 billion dollars. That milestone made it Africa’s tenth fintech unicorn. It also gave the company the strength to back large deals like this one.
For everyday users, the effect is simple.
Lebara customers will buy airtime and data through channels that Payaza runs behind the scenes. They can expect the same reliability Payaza has built in other markets. The company already holds licenses across several African countries. It has also spent years working with central banks and regulators. That experience now supports bigger partnerships like this one.
This deal also fits a wider pattern. Payaza has expanded its payment rails on several fronts this year. For example, it recently added Google Pay and Apple Pay support. That move targets a share of Africa’s 95 billion dollar diaspora remittance market. The Lebara deal follows the same idea. Instead of building its own payment system, Lebara now taps into Payaza’s local infrastructure.
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For Lebara, this partnership offers a fast path to reliability. That matters in a market where trust in payments can decide a telecom’s early success. For Payaza, the deal locks in another exclusive revenue stream. It also strengthens the company’s place in telecom linked digital payments, a sector set to grow as more Nigerians move away from cash for daily top ups.
