Three years after its launch, FeexPay continues its transformation from a promising startup to a structured regional player. The Ivorian fintech, already present in several UEMOA countries and in the Republic of Congo, recently announced the launch of FeexPay Business, a free application for merchants, with the clear ambition of expanding access to digital payments on the continent.
Behind this launch, the stakes go far beyond the release of a new product. The fintech aims to tackle one of the historical barriers of African electronic payment: the dependence on electronic payment terminals (EPTs). Indeed, while EPTs have played a central role in the spread of card payments, their penetration remains limited in many African markets due to high acquisition costs, cumbersome technical requirements, and often fragmented regulatory environment. For a large part of the proximity trade, especially informal or semi-structured, the equipment remains inaccessible.
It is precisely on this gap that FeexPay intends to build its competitive advantage. With FeexPay Business, the company offers an alternative that dematerializes part of the function traditionally carried by EPTs. The innovation therefore lies not only in the launch of an additional application, but in a reconfiguration of the payment acceptance model: reducing dependence on hardware, lowering entry costs, and allowing a greater number of merchants to integrate into the digital economy without heavy investment.
“Adapting innovation to African realities”
In other words, FeexPay is part of a logic of innovation adapted to African realities. Where traditional infrastructures struggle to cover the entire commercial fabric, the application relies on the spread of smartphones and more flexible uses to accelerate adoption. In a market where the challenge is not only technological but also distributive, this approach aims to be a key factor of differentiation.
“EPTs remain a powerful tool, but they cannot be the only entry points to digital payment at the point of sale. FeexPay Business and F-QR code are our concrete responses to all merchants who were excluded due to lack of means or infrastructure,” said Jean-Hugues Houinsou, the CEO of the Ivorian fintech, which also has a headquarters in Benin.
The launch is part of a broader strategy of building an integrated ecosystem. Before FeexPay Business, the company had already introduced the F-QR Code, a device aimed at streamlining payments via smartphone. By consolidating these technological building blocks, Feexpay is gradually building a multi-channel offering adapted to the constraints of African commerce: low banking penetration in certain segments, predominance of mobile, high sensitivity to costs, and growing need for interoperability.
“Strategy”
This power surge also relies on another pillar that has become crucial in the payment economy: trust. FeexPay claims compliance with the PCI DSS standard, an international standard for securing payment data. In a sector where operational credibility conditions both commercial adoption, institutional partnerships, and relations with regulators, this positioning is part of a strategy of legitimization on a regional scale.
“We are building a trust ecosystem. PCI DSS level 1 compliance and that of the BCEAO are not a commercial argument, it is a requirement that we impose on ourselves so that each transaction is as secure for a small merchant in Cotonou as for a company in Abidjan,” added the fintech leader.
The indicators provided by the company indeed reflect this scaling up. FeexPay claims to process more than 1.5 million monthly transactions for a network exceeding 5000 merchants. Above all, obtaining in September 2025 the payment establishment approval issued by the BCEAO gives it a major strategic advantage.
