Meet the Nigerian company helping merchants beat queues and sell globally

For many Nigerian merchants, peak shopping periods are a double-edged sword. Foot traffic surges, but so do queues, payment delays, and abandoned purchases. Online, the problem shifts: international customers drop off at checkout due to complex card entry, failed transactions, or unfamiliar payment flows.

Nomba, an African digital bank, says it is tackling both problems head-on—by speeding up in-store payments and simplifying how local businesses sell to customers abroad.

In December 2025, Nomba rolled out Apple Pay across its platform, enabling Nigerian merchants to accept contactless payments in physical stores and online. The move positions the company at the intersection of retail efficiency and cross-border commerce, two areas that have become increasingly critical as Nigeria’s consumer economy grows more digital and more global.

Cutting queues at the point of sale

In busy retail environments, speed matters. During high-traffic periods such as Detty December, when tourists and returning members of the Nigerian diaspora flood commercial centres, checkout delays can quickly become a bottleneck. Nomba’s Apple Pay integration is designed to reduce that friction.

In stores, customers can now pay by opening their iPhone camera, scanning the merchant’s code, and authenticating the transaction with Face ID. There’s no need to pull out a physical card or complete a bank transfer. Merchants receive instant confirmation on their Nomba POS terminals or via real-time notifications in the Nomba app.

The result, Nomba says, is a faster checkout flow that keeps lines moving and improves the overall customer experience. For retailers, this also means handling more transactions during peak hours without adding extra staff or hardware.

XO Bakery, a Lagos-based business that uses Nomba, says the difference is noticeable during busy seasons. “Detty December is one of our busiest times of the year. Apple Pay on Nomba helps us move faster, reduce queues, and serve customers who are already used to contactless payments,” said Alex Oke, founder of XO Bakery.

Unlocking global customers online

Beyond physical stores, Nomba’s Apple Pay launch is aimed squarely at Nigerian businesses that sell online, especially those targeting international customers. For these merchants, checkout friction is a major barrier to growth. Long forms, repeated card entry, and unfamiliar payment steps often lead to abandoned transactions.

With Apple Pay, customers can complete purchases in seconds, without manually entering card details. For Nigerian web merchants selling digital services, physical goods, or subscriptions to customers abroad, this streamlined checkout can significantly improve conversion rates.

This matters in a country where more businesses are looking beyond local markets to diaspora and international customers, but often struggle with payment acceptance. Apple Pay, already widely used globally, allows Nigerian merchants to meet customers where they are, using a payment method they trust.

Shielding merchants from payment complexity

Behind the scenes, accepting international payments is rarely straightforward. Transactions initiated through platforms like Nomba are ultimately processed by upstream international payment processors. Delays in settlement, unfavourable foreign exchange rates, or withheld funds can create cash-flow uncertainty, not just for payment companies, but for the merchants they serve.

Nomba says it has made a deliberate choice to absorb much of this complexity on behalf of its users. According to the company, merchants are paid on time even when settlements from upstream processors are delayed.

“Our merchants should never feel the complexity or risk of global payment processing. Even when settlements from upstream processors are delayed, we ensure merchants are paid on time using our own funds,” Nomba said.

This approach, while capital-intensive, is designed to give Nigerian businesses confidence to operate at scale, especially during high-volume periods, without worrying about delayed access to their money.

Building for the future of Nigerian commerce

Nomba frames its Apple Pay integration as part of a broader push to modernise Nigeria’s payment infrastructure. As global commerce moves toward faster, more secure, and increasingly invisible checkout experiences, the company says its responsibility is to ensure Nigerian merchants are not left behind.

“Payments globally are moving toward speed, security, and invisible checkout. Our responsibility is to ensure Nigerian merchants are fully prepared for the future of payments,” said Pelumi Aboluwarin, Nomba’s chief technology officer.

With Apple Pay now available for both in-store and online transactions, Nomba is expanding the options available to businesses that want to serve customers quickly at home and seamlessly abroad. In doing so, it is positioning itself not just as a payments processor, but as an enabler of modern commerce, helping Nigerian merchants beat queues, reduce friction, and sell to the world.

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.

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