New Paystack payment tool will allow users buy airtime and send money through ChatGPT and Claude AI

Paystack has launched Paystack Index, a new tool that allows AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude to complete real-world transactions on behalf of users in Nigeria, meaning a user can now buy airtime or send money simply by typing a request into an AI chatbot.

The product was announced by the company’s co-founder and CEO Shola Akinlade as an experimental release. Within supported AI agents, users can issue plain-language prompts to buy airtime, send money through Zap by Paystack, or order food from Chowdeck.

For example, a user could ask an AI assistant to buy ₦500 airtime, send money to a specific contact, or order a meal within a set budget, and the assistant carries out the transaction directly rather than simply explaining how to do it.

The launch marks one of the first attempts to connect AI agents directly to payments and commerce in Africa.

The company said that as more merchants join the platform, users will gain access to additional services including ride-hailing, grocery purchases, and utility bill payments, all executable through AI prompts rather than navigating individual apps.

The service is currently live in Nigeria and is expected to expand to Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.

A natural next step after Paystack’s restructuring

The launch builds on a broader strategic shift Paystack set in motion earlier this year.

Five months ago, the company marked its 10th anniversary by unveiling The Stack Group (TSG) as its new parent company, restructuring its operations into distinct business units: Paystack for merchant payments, Zap for consumer transactions, Paystack Microfinance Bank for banking services, and TSG Labs as its innovation arm focused on emerging technologies including stablecoins and artificial intelligence.

Paystack Index appears to be one of the first visible products to emerge from that innovation push, combining Zap’s consumer payments infrastructure with AI agent integration.

It positions the company at the intersection of two of the fastest-growing trends in technology, artificial intelligence and digital payments, as AI companies globally push their assistants beyond answering questions and toward completing actual tasks on users’ behalf.

For Nigerian consumers, the practical implication is a meaningful reduction in friction. Instead of opening a banking app, navigating menus, and confirming a transfer, the same action can now be completed through a single conversational prompt to an AI assistant already integrated into daily digital habits.

Similar read: Paystack celebrates 10 years, unveils new parent company The Stack Group