Paystack launches AI-powered checkout for Nigerian consumers

Paystack, the payments technology company owned by The Stack Group (TSG), has launched an experimental product that allows users in Nigeria to check out with supported Paystack merchants using AI agents.

Paystack Index, developed with product support from TSG Labs, the Group’s venture studio, focused on building new products using emerging technologies, builds on existing Paystack products, such as Paystack Checkout and Zap, to let users complete daily transactions through AI, while keeping payments on Paystack’s existing infrastructure. 

The company said the product currently works with supported AI clients, including Claude, ChatGPT, and OpenClaw, with early access launching first with Zap users in Nigeria.

The launch coincides with rising AI adoption in Nigeria. According to a Google-Ipsos survey, 88% of Nigerians surveyed said they had used generative AI over the previous year, while 62% said they had used it for everyday tasks such as planning trips, meals, or workout routines. 

Paystack Index bets that as consumers continue to rely on AI to make decisions and complete tasks, making payments could become the next everyday activity to move into AI-powered experiences.

“Paystack has always focused on helping businesses get paid safely and reliably, wherever their customers are,” said Shola Akinlade, CEO of Paystack. “As AI agents become a more common way for people to search, decide, and take action, we think checkout has to evolve too.”

The product currently supports everyday use cases, including airtime and mobile data purchases across Nigeria’s major mobile networks, wallet funding and transfers through Zap, and food ordering through Chowdeck, according to the company.

Akinlade noted that the product emerged from Paystack’s belief that AI agents are becoming a new interface for action and that AI could represent the next major shift in how people discover and pay for products.

“We believe AI agents could become another important interface for commerce, where people move from asking questions to completing real tasks,” he told TechCabal.

To test that vision, Paystack is rolling out Index through a controlled early-access program. The product is initially available only in Nigeria and supports a curated set of merchants and services; however, invitations for early access would be granted based on its capacity to support users during the beta. 

The company said the limited rollout would allow it to study how people use AI to complete transactions and test AI-led checkout experiences before expanding to more users, merchants, and African markets. 

How Paystack Index works

Behind the scenes, Paystack Index acts as the connection layer between a user’s AI agent, Zap, supported merchants, and Paystack’s payment infrastructure, according to Akinlade. 

He further illustrated that if a user asked Claude to buy airtime, the AI agent would handle the conversation while Index interprets the request, verifies that it is supported, confirms the user’s permissions, and routes the request to the appropriate merchant or service provider before payments are completed through Zap and Paystack’s infrastructure.

The company said that users remain in control of every authorised payment, as Index does not store card numbers, Card Verification Values (CVVs), personal identification numbers, or bank account credentials. Instead, it relies on Paystack’s existing payment infrastructure to process transactions.

Paystack noted that the routing between customers and merchants was designed to remain transparent. Rather than allowing AI systems to independently decide which merchant receives a customer’s request where multiple providers can fulfil the same service, Index would consider factors such as the user’s stated intent, merchant availability, delivery context, transaction requirements, and user permissions. 

During the early access beta, the company aims to understand whether AI-powered commerce becomes habitual behaviour by identifying which tasks users repeatedly return to and whether AI creates a meaningful discovery channel for merchants.

“We’re also looking at what this means for Paystack merchants and supported services,” Akinlade said. “If Index creates a meaningful new way for merchants to be discovered, selected, and paid through AI agents, that’s an important signal.”

The product launch offers a clearer picture of TSG Labs’ technology ambitions. While Index showcases the venture studio’s interest in AI-powered products, Akinlade said stablecoins remain another major area of focus. TSG Labs is exploring what stablecoin-powered infrastructure could unlock for African businesses and consumers, including in markets like South Africa, while assessing the right use cases, market needs, regulatory environment, and product experiences before bringing any offering to market.

“It’s an area we’re taking seriously, and we’re being deliberate about how we build, who we build for, and what responsible adoption should look like,” he said. “The ambition is to make sure African markets are not late to important infrastructure shifts.”

Paystack Index is the latest in a string of product launches from Paystack. Over the past year, Paystack has expanded its product portfolio and service offerings, including the launch of Zap, its first consumer-facing product for pay-with-transfer, in March 2025; the overhaul of its decade-old merchant dashboard with AI capabilities; the introduction of the Paystack Small Business Bundle, which gives eligible Nigerian merchants access to partner discounts; the addition of Capitec Pay in South Africa and Pesalink in Kenya as payment methods; and an integration with Flowcart Commerce.

Paystack plans to gradually expand Index with additional features, supported merchants, billers, and African markets as it continues learning from user behaviour during the beta.

“The goal is to learn how people want to use AI agents for everyday commerce, how merchants can show up in these new experiences, and what infrastructure is needed to make AI-led checkout work safely for African markets from the beginning,” Akinlade said.