EBANX Becomes First Global Payments Firm to Offer OPay Direct Debit

Global digital businesses can now collect recurring subscription payments through OPay in Nigeria after Brazilian payments company EBANX integrated OPay Direct Debit into its payment processing platform.

Announced on 22 October 2026, the integration allows international merchants, including streaming services and software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers, to offer OPay as a payment option at checkout. Customers can authorise recurring payments through the OPay app without having to enter their payment details for every billing cycle.

EBANX says it is the first global payments company to launch recurring payments through OPay Direct Debit. The integration gives international merchants access to OPay's reported 40 million monthly active users in Nigeria, equivalent to approximately one in three adults in the country, according to the announcement.

Reaching Customers Beyond Credit Cards

The launch targets a gap between the payment methods international subscription businesses typically support and those Nigerian consumers use.

According to figures cited by EBANX, only 5% of Nigerian adults own credit cards, while mobile phone penetration stands at 84%. World Data Lab data analysed by EBANX indicates that consumers without credit cards account for 95% of online spending in Nigeria.

For subscription businesses, this creates a challenge. A customer may want to pay for streaming, online software or another digital service but lack an international credit card that supports automatic recurring charges.

Digital wallets and bank transfers already play a substantial role in Nigeria's online economy. Payment and Commerce Market Intelligence data cited by EBANX puts their combined share at 65% of the country's e-commerce volume.

OPay Direct Debit gives merchants another way to collect subscription payments from customers who prefer local payment methods.

How OPay Direct Debit Works

Customers authorise recurring payments once through the OPay app. After that authorisation, participating merchants can collect subsequent subscription charges without requiring customers to be present for each transaction or re-enter their payment information.

The arrangement removes the need to rely exclusively on conventional card-on-file billing for these customers. It could also simplify the payment process for businesses selling digital services across borders, although the actual impact on subscription conversion and payment failures will depend on merchant adoption and customer use.

OPay Chief Commercial Officer Elizabeth Wang said the service would give Nigerian customers a convenient way to pay for international digital services while retaining control over their subscriptions.

For merchants, the attraction is access to an established local payment network without having to build a separate integration directly with every payment provider.

Part of EBANX's Wider Emerging-Market Strategy

Nigeria is the latest market in EBANX's expansion of recurring payments through alternative payment methods. The company says it now supports recurring alternative payments in 13 emerging markets across Africa, Asia and Latin America, potentially reaching more than one billion consumers.

The Nigerian launch follows an arrangement in South Africa under which Canva became the first international company to offer recurring payments through Capitec Pay's account-to-account solution. That integration allows South African customers to pay for Canva subscriptions directly through their bank accounts.

EBANX Chief Operating Officer Marin Mignot said the company develops payment integrations suited to individual markets rather than applying the same approach everywhere.

Nigeria's e-commerce market is valued at US$30 billion in World Data Lab figures analysed by EBANX. The research also projects that the country will add 32 million people to its consumer class by 2036.

The immediate opportunity for international subscription providers is to make their services accessible through a payment method already used by millions of Nigerians. The new integration gives them a route to do so through OPay, without requiring customers to rely on international credit cards.