By: Peneyambeko Jonas
Namibia Digital Dollar (NADD) has launched NADD Pay, a WhatsApp-based payment platform that allows users to send, receive and transact with the blockchain-backed stablecoin directly through the popular messaging application.
The platform was announced in Oshakati last week, built on the BNB Smart Chain and is pegged one-to-one with the Namibian Dollar.
NADD is the latest company to join a growing number of African companies offering financial services via WhatsApp. According to SQ Magazine’s WhatsApp Global Statistics Report, over 300 million people in Africa use WhatsApp.
In March, South Africa’s Chikwama Pay and the UK’s Paymentology partnered to provide accessible financial services through WhatsApp. The platform provides fully-integrated borderless payment bringing seamless and affordable financial services to millions of underserved people across SADC.
Beem, a fintech company from Tanzania, offers a digital payment system integrated within WhatsApp that allows users to send and receive money directly through the app.
TsogaPay and Payfast by Network have partnered to launch an integrated WhatsApp-based payment solution that improves accessibility and convenience for municipal billing services in South Africa.
In April, Nigerian-based Payaza Africa Limited launched Chat & Pay, a WhatsApp-based payment feature designed to help businesses streamline receipts and eliminate delays in receiving payments.
Also in Namibia, Bank Windhoek launched its WhatsApp Banking services last month, providing balance enquiries, mini statements, selected payments and transfers, and basic account support to locals, a first for Namibia.
That said, WhatsApp banking has become a popular feature among the continent’s established banks. Absa introduced WhatsApp banking in 2018 with Absa ChatBanking.
NADD will enable instant transfers between users, conversion between NADD and USDT, withdrawals to compatible digital wallets, and access to blockchain payment services through a conversational WhatsApp interface.
NADD founder, Simon Kapenda, said the platform aims to simplify access to digital payments while expanding financial interoperability across Africa.
The company added that the system incorporates encrypted wallet infrastructure, transaction monitoring and treasury reconciliation processes to support secure digital payment operations and future integration with regional payment systems such as M-Pesa.
