The Mojaloop Foundation, the nonprofit behind open-source instant payment software, said on 10 November 2026 that its technology powers NimbaPay, Guinea’s national inclusive instant payment system, which went live on 22 July 2026 and processed 24,064 transactions worth GNF 19.151 billion, about $2.18 million, by the end of August. Fintechbits checked AfricaNenda’s SIIPS 2025 executive summary, which counted 33 domestic instant payment systems across 25 African countries and 36 live systems in 31 countries including regional schemes as of June 2025, so the release’s description of Guinea as the 31st African nation with a national instant payment system does not match the report it cites. On the domestic count, Guinea would rank later in the 20s.

What NimbaPay does

According to the Mojaloop release, the system connects Guinea’s participating banks, e-money providers and microfinance institutions so customers can send money instantly between them. It runs on Mojaloop’s open-source code, with implementation by ThitsaWorks, under the leadership of the central bank and GuiM, the national payment switch operator.

Mojaloop also trained local technical firms, including the systems integrators who now run and develop the platform, and helped build consensus among the central bank, AfricaNenda and participating institutions. That training matters because open-source systems fail when nobody local can maintain them.

Dr. Karamo Kaba, governor of the central bank, called it “a sovereign platform” that will “strengthen our control over critical financial infrastructure”.

Early NimbaPay numbers

The release reports fast early growth. Monthly transactions rose from 5,542 in July to 18,459 in August, and monthly value from GNF 2.584 billion, about $294,000, to GNF 16.567 billion, about $1.88 million. More than 99% of transactions were processed automatically end to end, with 228 errors recorded across the period.

Those are small absolute numbers. AfricaNenda’s report says African instant payment systems handled more than 64 billion transactions worth $1.98 trillion in 2024. The first weeks are a start, not a shift in how Guineans pay, and the release itself shows most activity came in August.

Fintechbits analysis

Why NimbaPay Matters More Than Its Ranking

The ranking error is minor, but it is the kind of claim that gets repeated, so it is worth getting right. AfricaNenda’s own SIIPS 2025 summary already listed 31 countries with access to live systems before NimbaPay launched, partly because regional schemes such as PAPSS count Guinea among their members. Counting domestic systems only, the report found 25 countries as of June 2025. Either way, Guinea is not the 31st.

The more important point is the model. Guinea’s new switch is a cross-domain system, open to banks and non-banks alike, which AfricaNenda treats as the route to real inclusion. A central bank that owns its switch and runs open-source software is less dependent on a single vendor, and the governor’s emphasis on sovereignty says that was the goal.

The risk is the familiar one AfricaNenda describes: many African systems launch and then process low volumes because fees are unclear or participants join slowly. The next few months will show whether August’s jump continues. Fintechbits’ look at Chad’s fintech ecosystem shows how uneven adoption can be in the region.

Frequently asked questions

What is NimbaPay?

NimbaPay is Guinea’s national inclusive instant payment system, built on Mojaloop open-source software and launched on 22 July 2026 under the central bank and GuiM. It connects banks, e-money providers and microfinance institutions.

How many transactions has NimbaPay processed?

The release says NimbaPay processed 24,064 transactions worth GNF 19.151 billion, about $2.18 million, between its launch and August 2026, with monthly volume rising from 5,542 to 18,459.

Is Guinea the 31st African country with an instant payment system?

AfricaNenda’s SIIPS 2025 summary counted 36 live systems in 31 countries, and 33 domestic systems in 25 countries, as of June 2025, before NimbaPay launched. On either count, the 31st claim does not hold.

What to Watch Next

The figure to watch is NimbaPay’s monthly volume for the rest of 2026 and whether AfricaNenda’s next SIIPS report rates the Guinean system as basic or progressed on its inclusivity scale. A move into merchant payments, through QR codes or shop tills,, not just transfers between people, would be the clearest sign it is becoming everyday infrastructure. Fintechbits also tracks cross-border alias payments that could one day link national systems across the region.