Carry1st, Chipper, PayPal Collab Gives Digital Payments Leg Up in Africa

In a move to further accelerate digital payments in Africa, mobile games publisher Carry1st is collaborating with payments FinTech firm PayPal and cross-border payments platform Chipper Cash to launch the new product Carry1st Shop.

Carry1st Shop enables people across the continent to shop online for virtual goods and digital services and buy everything from pre-paid electricity and mobile data to game assets for PUBG, ROBLOX, and SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off.

Subscriptions to the gaming platform Xbox Live can also be accessed on Carry1stShop, as can memberships to platforms such as Tinder and Uber, according to a press release emailed to PYMNTS on Tuesday (Nov. 30).

See also: African FinTech Chipper Cash Raises $150M at $2B+ Valuation

The new product also offers numerous ways for people to pay, including mobile money, crypto and bank transfers. The aim is to offer a single digital location Africans can turn to for secure purchases of gaming assets, lifestyle content and other digital needs.

The Chipper Cash integration is live in Nigeria, with plans to roll out to more locations soon. Valued at an estimated $2 billion, this is Chipper Cash’s first Network API partnership in Africa.

The collaboration with PayPal opens payments possibilities everywhere PayPal is accepted, according to the press release.

“By partnering with PayPal, the world’s largest consumer payments platform, and Chipper Cash, one of the most innovative and fast-growing payment platforms in Africa, we are removing the pain points that consumers face when purchasing virtual goods,” said Cordel Robbin-Coker, Carry1st CEO and co-founder.

“In Chipper Cash we have a partner that is perfectly aligned with our passion and dedication to revolutionize payments across Africa through technology and sector expertise, and to help the continent seize the unprecedented opportunities that lie ahead,” Robbin-Coker said.

Read more: Repairing Regulatory Fragmentation Will Spur Cross-Border Payments Across Africa

Credit cards haven’t caught on in Africa, with just 27% of digital payments transacted that way, compared to 92% in the U.S. and the U.K. The digital payments space is growing fast, however, due to its widespread mobile-first mindset.