Binance Pay has broadened its footprint in South Africa by enabling cryptocurrency payments at more than 31,000 merchants nationwide through its partnership with Zapper. This integration means consumers can now settle everyday purchases using digital currencies at a range of familiar establishments, from FlySafair and Dischem to KFC drive-throughs and Yuppiechef.
The service is not limited to Zapper merchants alone. Customers can also use Binance Pay at other well-known retailers such as Pick’n Pay and Bootlegger, signalling a wider embrace of cryptocurrency payments across the country’s retail landscape.
Cashback Promotion Encourages Early Adoption
To celebrate the rollout, Binance Pay has launched a limited-time promotion. Beginning on 9 September 2025, consumers making purchases at participating merchants will receive 50% cashback on transactions, a move designed to entice first-time users to experiment with crypto-based payments.
Yande Nomvete, a representative for Binance South Africa, emphasised the motivation behind the expansion:
“Binance Pay is about giving South Africans freedom and flexibility in how they spend their money. Through our partnership with Zapper, tens of thousands of merchants are now available to users, and the cashback promotion encourages first-time crypto payments.”
Enhancing Options for Merchants and Consumers
For Zapper, the collaboration represents an important addition to its payment network. Mike Bryer, Chief Executive Officer of Zapper, said the partnership reflects a commitment to offering greater choice.
“Our collaboration with Binance Pay enhances the payment options available to our extensive merchant network, facilitating seamless and secure transactions for both consumers and businesses.”
The rollout is further supported by MoneyBadger, a South African fintech specialising in simplifying cryptocurrency transactions for businesses. This arrangement ensures that merchants accepting crypto can still receive settlements in South African Rand, bridging the gap between digital currencies and traditional payment methods.
How South Africans Can Pay with Binance
Using Binance Pay at Zapper merchants requires a few simple steps. Shoppers should request to pay with Zapper and then scan the Binance Pay QR code from their Binance app, accessible in Lite mode on the top-right corner. First-time users will need to set up a Pay PIN and complete email and app verification. Returning users can complete purchases quickly with their Pay PIN or through face verification.
Crypto Adoption Growing Rapidly
The integration comes at a time when Binance has been experiencing sharp growth in South Africa. In recent weeks, the company has seen tens of thousands of new users register, with transaction volumes climbing steadily. The surge reflects a wider trend of growing interest in digital currencies for everyday use.
Globally, Binance Pay’s reach has grown to more than 63,000 merchants, and the platform has facilitated over 300 million transactions. This scale underscores the increasing normalisation of cryptocurrency as a payment method.
A Changing Payments Landscape
Industry forecasts highlight the potential for further growth in digital transactions across Africa. A Mastercard-commissioned report projects that the continent’s digital payments economy will reach 1.5 trillion United States dollars by 2030, fuelled by mobile wallets, digital banking, and fintech solutions.
In South Africa, card payments alone are expected to surpass 158 billion United States dollars in 2025. This signals a steady migration away from cash as consumers and businesses adopt faster and more secure digital alternatives. The South African Reserve Bank’s Payment Ecosystem Modernisation (PEM) initiative aims to accelerate this shift by ensuring transactions are simpler, quicker, and safer.
Cryptocurrency is also gaining ground. Research from Chainalysis shows that Africa recorded the fastest relative increase in crypto users in 2025, with on-chain activity climbing by 52 percent. South Africa, alongside Kenya, is at the forefront of this trend, demonstrating that crypto payments are no longer confined to speculative investments but are becoming part of everyday commerce.
The rollout of Binance Pay in South Africa, backed by strong fintech partnerships and consumer incentives, may therefore be viewed as both a response to and a driver of the continent’s evolving financial ecosystem. Whether consumers will adopt digital currencies en masse for their daily purchases remains to be seen, but the groundwork is clearly being laid for a new era of payments.
