Today in Digital Banking: Plaid Boosts A2A Simplicity, MFS Africa Acquires Capricorn Digital and Zelle and Fiserv Offer Real-Time MDI Payments

Today in digital banking, MFS Africa’s acquisition of Capricorn Digital is highlighted and spurred by payments platform Baxi. Plus, Zelle and Fiserv have collaborated to bring real-time payments to minority depository institutions, and Plaid cleans up account-to-account payments with a team of partners across myriad verticals.

Zelle Teams With Fiserv to Deliver Real-Time Payments to MDIs

Peer-to-peer (P2P) payments startup Zelle has teamed up with global FinTech Fiserv to bring real-time payments to minority depository institutions (MDIs), starting with a rebate to qualifying MDIs that sign on with the Zelle network. Banesco USA, which is a community bank offering financial services to diverse communities, is the most recent MDI to participate.

Banesco USA customers will find Zelle integrated into their BanescoMobile banking app, which allows them to transfer funds to others across the U.S. and make transfers using the recipient’s mobile phone number or email address, in minutes if both people use Zelle.

Plaid Builds Partner Ecosystem to Simplify A2A Payments

Plaid has rolled out a team of almost payments partners that will bring frictionless account-to-account (A2A) financial transactions, according to a blog post by Plaid Head of Revenue Paul Williamson.

Plaid’s new ecosystem includes payment firms, tech companies and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) providers in North America and Europe. Plaid is also partnering with Checkout.com and Marqeta to further advance connected payments experiences for FinTechs using Plaid.

MFS Africa Acquires Baxi Parent Company Capricorn Digital

MFS Africa has agreed to acquire Nigerian digital solutions and distribution company Capricorn Digital, the parent company of Baxi, for an undisclosed amount. Baxi helps users make utility bill payments, airtime purchases, data subscriptions, withdrawals and money transfers.

Capricorn Digital will add to its staff of more than 90,000 agents across Nigeria with the deal. MFS Africa, founded in 2009 by Beninese national Dare Okoudjou, is the largest FinTech interoperability hub in Africa, with connections to about 320 million customers in more than 35 African countries.