Viyona Fintech Eyes African Expansion, Targets Zimbabwe for SoftPOS Rollout
The NPCI-certified Technology Service Provider (TSP) is in discussions with the Government of Zimbabwe to facilitate the proposed rollout of its Tap & Pay SoftPOS platform.
The company plans to roll out Tap & Pay commercially in India and selected African markets after securing the necessary payment network certifications and regulatory clearances.
Viyona aims to provide merchant payment acceptance solutions to complement emerging digital payment networks and support wider adoption among businesses.
Its Tap & Pay platform uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to turn compatible Android smartphones into contactless payment terminals, potentially reducing the need for small merchants to invest in dedicated point-of-sale (POS) hardware.
Founded in 2022, Viyona Fintech is identifying local acquiring banks, payment service providers (PSPs) and merchant networks in Zimbabwe as potential partners for its initial African deployment.
Ravindranath Yarlagadda, founder and CEO of Viyona Fintech, said the company was focused on providing scalable digital payment infrastructure to reduce capital expenditure for merchants.
He identified Zimbabwe as a potential testing ground before expansion into other African markets.
The proposed entry comes amid discussions between the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) on licensing India’s UPI technology as a national payment system.
Viyona aims to provide complementary merchant acceptance infrastructure, subject to technical integration and regulatory approvals.
According to the AfricaNenda State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems in Africa 2025 report, instant payment systems across the continent processed approximately $2 trillion through 64 billion transactions in 2024.
The report identified 36 live instant payment systems across 31 countries as of June 2025.
Viyona said its experience in UPI-compliant payment platforms would support partnerships with banks and payment service providers seeking scalable merchant acceptance solutions.
