Kora Joins IATA Network, Bringing African Payment Rails Closer to Global Airlines
Kora's entry into the IATA Financial Gateway gives airlines a single connection to payment methods used across African markets
Kora, a leading payment infrastructure platform, has joined the International Air Transport Association Financial Gateway (IFG), enabling global airlines to seamlessly access Africa’s diverse payment ecosystem through a single, integrated infrastructure layer.
The IATA Financial Gateway serves as the aviation industry’s dedicated payment orchestration and management platform, bringing together global, regional, and local payment providers to help airlines optimize payment acceptance, lower transaction costs, and enhance customer experiences across markets. Through Kora’s integration with IFG, airlines and travel agencies can now accept a wide range of payment methods across Africa, including cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and other local alternative payment options without the need to establish and manage multiple individual integrations.
Additionally, Africa remains one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, with passenger numbers projected to increase by more than 300 million by 2050. However, airlines expanding into the continent have often encountered significant payment-related challenges, including fragmented payment systems, foreign exchange complexities, disconnected settlement processes, and the need to manage multiple payment service providers across key markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, and South Africa.
By integrating with IFG, Kora eliminates much of this complexity. A single connection now provides airlines with access to Kora’s pan-African payment infrastructure, delivering the local expertise, compliance capabilities, and settlement reliability required for enterprise-scale operations.
“Africa is not a market to figure out later. It is a growth opportunity that demands serious infrastructure today. Our partnership with IATA signals that the rails are ready. Global airlines no longer have to choose between expanding into Africa and managing payment complexity. With Kora inside IFG, they get both,” said Dickson Nsofor, CEO of Kora.
The IATA network currently comprises more than 370 airlines worldwide. Through Kora’s integration with IFG, these carriers can now seamlessly access Kora’s payment infrastructure across all the African markets in which it operates.
“IATA Financial Gateway (IFG) enables increased travel payment processing flexibility for the world’s airlines and travel suppliers to build a cost-effective travel payment strategy. Kora’s participation strengthens our ability to serve airlines operating in or expanding across African markets,” said Kamil Al-Awadhi, Regional Vice President, Africa and Middle East, IATA.
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