When Zambia moved its domestic card traffic off the international networks and onto its own National Financial Switch (NFS), One of the key objectives of the National Financial Switch was to reduce the cost of domestic electronic payments by providing shared infrastructure.one of the promises attached to it was a cheaper transaction. That saving has not yet reached customers, and the gap between what the infrastructure promised and what a Zambian actually pays is where the country’s next chapter begins. The access question, by contrast, has largely been answered, and Bank of Zambia figures from the 2025 FinScope survey show financial inclusion at 80.1%, up from 69.4% in 2020, with mobile money usage at 76.2%.
Zambia’s payments story is no longer just about moving money from one bank account to another. It’s about how people, businesses, farmers, miners, SMEs and government participate in the digital economy.
Stephen Mulenga
Regional Manager
