Carry1st Collaborates with Chipper Cash & PayPal For Digital Payments Across Africa

Carry1st, one of Africa’s leading mobile game publishers, today announced a partnership with PayPal and Chipper Cash, a cross-border payments company recently valued at $2 billion, to enable people across Africa to purchase virtual goods and services online in an easy and secure manner.

Following these collaborations, consumers across Africa will be able to purchase digital essentials such as pre-paid electricity and mobile data, assets in their favorite games (such as PUBG, ROBLOX, and SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off — which Carry1st recently launched in Africa), and subscriptions to platforms such as Xbox Live, Tinder, and Uber through the newly launched Carry1st Shop.

The integration with Chipper Cash, the newly minted unicorn’s first Network API partnership in Africa, is now live in Nigeria ahead of a wider rollout. Payments can be made anywhere PayPal is accepted thanks to the partnership.

Credit card penetration in Africa remains low, accounting for only 27% of digital payments, compared to 92% in the US and UK. However, due to the continent’s massive mobile-first population, the digital payments sector continues to grow rapidly. According to Cellulant, this growth has resulted in a fragmented ecosystem, with 277 mobile wallets, over 500 banks, and several card networks spread across 55 countries.

Carry1st has already collaborated with Africa’s leading fintech companies, such as Paystack, Safaricom, Cellulant, and others, to develop and launch Pay1st, a payments orchestration solution that consolidates the most widely used methods in six African countries.

“By partnering with PayPal, the world’s largest consumer payments platform, and Chipper Cash, one of Africa’s most innovative and fast-growing payment platforms, we are removing the pain points that consumers face when purchasing virtual goods,” said Carry1st CEO and co-founder Cordel Robbin-Coker.

“In Chipper Cash, we have found a partner who shares our passion and dedication to revolutionizing payments across Africa through technology and sector expertise, and to assisting the continent in seizing the unprecedented opportunities that lie ahead.”

“Carry1st is a remarkable company, breaking new ground in mobile game development and distribution across the African continent,” says Hasan Luongo, Chipper’s VP of Global Marketing.

“Chipper’s collaboration with Carry1st brings together two of the world’s fastest-growing technology segments in gaming and payments, allowing many millions, if not billions, more people to enjoy the best games and instantly purchase credits and top-ups in just a few taps.”