Johannesburg- On 23 March 2026, Namclear and PayInc officially entered into a strategic agreement to enhance regional financial integration by onboarding Namclear as a participant in the Transactions Cleared on an Immediate Basis (TCIB) payment scheme.
This partnership marks a significant milestone in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Finance and Investment Protocol, aiming to revolutionise how low-value cross-border payments are processed across the region. Under the agreement, Namclear will use the TCIB platform, led by the SADC Bankers’ Association, to clear single credit “push” transactions immediately. While these transactions are settled on a deferred basis, the integration ensures customers experience near-instantaneous fund movement across borders.
As the authorised Regional Clearing and Settlement System Operator for SADC, PayInc provides the critical infrastructure necessary for retail payments to flow seamlessly between member countries. Namclear will serve as a vital technical enabler, bridging the gap for banks and authorised non-bank financial institutions seeking access to the TCIB ecosystem. Beyond basic clearing, Namclear plans to offer an extensive suite of value-added services, such as fraud management, RTP, and bulk real-time, which are on the TCIB future roadmap, including advanced fraud management, AML and sanction list checking, request-to-pay functionality, and bulk real-time solutions in line with the evolution of the TCIB system. This comprehensive approach is designed to provide a secure, efficient, and highly scalable environment for digital finance that extends into the East African Community (EAC) and COMESA regions in the future. The TCIB is expected go live on 01 March 2027.
Reflecting on the impact of the collaboration, Namclear’s Managing Director, Mr Fabian Tait, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to delivering interoperable solutions that prioritise the end-user experience. He noted that implementing TCIB services will directly benefit consumers by allowing them to send and receive money across borders, such as between Namibia, South Africa and the other CMA countries, with unprecedented speed and reliability.
Expanding on the partnership with Namclear, PayInc’s Head of TCIB, Ms Meera Sunker, noted that this represents a significant advancement in scaling instant and secure cross-border payments through TCIB. “By bringing Namclear into the ecosystem, we are scaling access to extending access to immediate clearing capabilities and enabling more banks and financial institutions to participate in a modern, interoperable payments network, moving us closer to a truly connected regional system.” She adds that PayInc’s focus for TCIB remains on driving practical outcomes, including faster payments, reduced friction, and a better user experience. “This collaboration strengthens our ability to support trade, remittances, and everyday transactions between markets like Namibia, South Africa and beyond. We are building infrastructure that the region can rely on, and partnerships like this are what turn that infrastructure into real economic impact.”