Kenswitch taps PayU’s Wibmo to secure online card payments
The partnership gives banks connected to Kenya’s domestic payment switch access to EMV 3-D Secure authentication, and supports plans to route more e-commerce transactions through local infrastructure.
Kenswitch, Kenya’s domestic payment switch, has partnered with Wibmo, a PayU company, to strengthen authentication for online card payments and support e-commerce transactions routed through domestic infrastructure.
Through the partnership, financial institutions connected to Kenswitch will get access to Wibmo’s Access Control Server (ACS). The ACS uses EMV 3-D Secure technology to help card issuers verify that online purchases are made by authorised cardholders.
Wibmo’s technology supports major international payment networks, including Visa and Mastercard.
The deal also strengthens Kenswitch’s domestic e-commerce payment processing for local and global merchants. Eligible cards already issued by participating institutions could be used for online transactions routed through Kenswitch. This is subject to payment-network rules, issuer participation, commercial agreements, technical integration and regulatory thresholds.
Kenswitch’s enhanced online acquiring assesses transaction risk in real time. It decides whether a payment can go through without extra verification or whether the cardholder must authenticate it, using methods such as one-time passwords, biometrics or push-based approvals, depending on the issuer’s implementation.
For participating banks, the aim is to protect cardholders from unauthorised online card use while keeping unnecessary interruptions to legitimate purchases to a minimum.
“Our partnership with Wibmo positions Kenswitch to deliver international-standard authentication solutions to banks connected to the Kenswitch network,” said John Mukono, CEO of Kenswitch.
“Through this collaboration, we aim to strengthen cardholder protection across e-commerce transactions while enabling secure, seamless and convenient digital payment experiences.”
Domestic payments push
Mukono said the partnership reinforces Kenswitch’s commitment to building Kenya’s domestic payments ecosystem through secure, interoperable infrastructure that supports transactions across both local and international merchant networks.
Kenswitch is regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). It connects banks, savings and credit co-operatives (SACCOs), microfinance institutions and mobile money providers across multiple payment channels. Its member network covers more than 2,500 ATMs, 50,000 point-of-sale terminals and 80,000 agents, as well as e-commerce and digital payment channels.
Wibmo operates in India, the US and Indonesia, and describes itself as India’s largest authentication service provider. Its services also include fraud and risk management, digital financial services, prepaid solutions and merchant acquiring.
“Through the Wibmo Payment Authentication suite, Kenswitch can strengthen cardholder protection while delivering global standard authentication experiences for its clients,” said Shailesh Paul, CEO of Wibmo.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to working with payment infrastructure providers to enable secure, scalable and trusted digital payment journeys.”
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