ChamsSwitch has launched GLASS, a new payment gateway designed to let Nigerian businesses accept local and international payments through one integration.
The CBN-licensed payment switching company said GLASS supports Visa, Mastercard, Verve and UnionPay, and also accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, virtual accounts, as well as QR payments.
For merchants, the service removes the need to set up separate integrations for different payment methods. Customers can choose how they want to pay, while merchants receive settlement in Naira through regulated Nigerian banking rails.
ChamsSwitch, a subsidiary of Chams HoldCo Plc, said the gateway targets businesses that serve customers with different payment preferences.
These include hotels, airlines, travel companies, retailers, e-commerce platforms and exporters. Banks and other financial institutions can also make GLASS available to their merchant customers through a commercial partner programme.
The company is placing particular emphasis on payments from Asia. Its support for UnionPay, Alipay and WeChat Pay gives businesses in Nigeria access to payment methods commonly used by customers in Asian markets.
That could be useful for hotels, airlines and travel companies dealing with international visitors, as well as retailers and other businesses selling to customers outside Nigeria.
GLASS runs on ChamsSwitch’s existing switching infrastructure. The company, whose infrastructure holds PCI DSS and ISO/IEC 27001 certification, has operated in Nigeria’s payments industry for 18 years, serving more than 200,000 businesses.
GLASS also provides transaction visibility and reconciliation across its supported payment channels.
Mudiaga Umukoro, managing director and CEO of ChamsSwitch, said businesses should not have to maintain separate payment arrangements for different customer groups.
“Businesses should not need a different payment setup for every kind of customer. We built GLASS to bring cards, bank payments and leading digital wallets into one integration, with settlement in Naira. Its connection to UnionPay, Alipay and WeChat Pay gives Nigerian businesses a particularly valuable way to serve customers from Asia while remaining ready for customers from everywhere else.”
GLASS is now available to eligible Nigerian merchants, subject to onboarding and compliance requirements.
While ChamsSwitch’s settlement times will depend on the payment method, cut-off times, weekends, public holidays and compliance reviews, transactions will also remain subject to applicable card scheme, wallet and Central Bank of Nigeria regulations.
Banks and financial institutions interested in offering the service to their merchant customers can engage ChamsSwitch through its commercial partner programme.
