Kenyan shared payment infrastructure provider Kenswitch has officially launched the Kenswitch Card, establishing Kenya’s first national domestic card scheme. The platform introduces a locally operated alternative to international card networks, positioning the East African nation for card tokenization, digital wallet integration, and contactless Tap to Pay transactions.
Unveiled at the Digital Issuance Unlocked showcase at Strathmore University—hosted alongside regional partners TAI FINTECH and Stanchion Payments—the scheme enables commercial banks, microfinance institutions, and fintechs to issue physical and virtual domestic payment cards.
Domestic Infrastructure and Network Architecture
The Kenswitch Card connects directly into Kenya’s existing interbank switching infrastructure, providing domestic cardholders and financial institutions with local transaction clearing and reduced cross-border processing fees.
The card scheme integrates across Kenswitch’s footprint:
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ATM & POS Reach: Interoperable across more than 2,200 ATMs and 50,000 Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals nationwide.
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Agent Outlets & Digital Channels: Supported across 80,000 agency banking locations, e-commerce gateways, and digital banking applications.
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Real-Time Virtual Issuance: During the launch demonstration, partners showcased instant digital card issuance powered by Stanchion’s Payment Fabric platform and TAI FINTECH, allowing users to provision virtual cards immediately with dynamic security codes (CVV) and self-service freeze controls.
John Mukono, Chief Executive Officer of Kenswitch, noted that establishing a domestic card proposition strengthens Kenya’s independent payment capabilities while ensuring domestic infrastructure connects securely to global digital wallet standards and tokenized card credentials.
Preparing for Contactless Payments and Tap-to-Pay Integration
Beyond physical chip-and-PIN cards, Kenswitch is actively exploring partnerships with hardware manufacturers and device OEMs to provision virtual domestic cards directly into mobile devices, smart wearables, and digital wallets. This architectural layout enables tokenized Near Field Communication (NFC) Tap-to-Pay transactions for retail merchants.
Norman Frankel, Chief Growth Officer at Stanchion Payments, and Edwin Njeru, CEO of TAI FINTECH, highlighted that building modular, API-first card issuance software locally lowers operational overhead for tier-2 banks and SACCOs looking to issue cards without relying on expensive international scheme licensing.
Talent Pipelines and Market Competition
The Digital Issuance Unlocked initiative also established a collaborative framework between industry stakeholders and academia at Strathmore University to train local payment engineers and cybersecurity specialists.
The launch of the Kenswitch Card aligns with broader regulatory pushes by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to enhance payment interoperability, foster domestic clearing, and reduce financial friction across the East African payment ecosystem.
This video details the foundational payment infrastructure agreements and domestic switching framework underlying Kenya’s evolving card and digital payments network.
