# Touch and Pay Technologies **Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/touch-and-pay-technologies **Vertical:** Finance **Subcategory:** General **Tier:** Emerging **Website:** touchandpay.me **Last Updated:** 2026-04-14 ## Summary Lagos Nigerian contactless transit and government payment platform processing 350,000 daily bus fares for 2.3M users; YC W22 $16.4M revenue building West Africa's M-Pesa through Cowry card government partnerships. ## Company Overview Touch and Pay Technologies is a Lagos-based Nigerian fintech company digitizing microtransactions across transportation, education, healthcare, and government revenue collection in West Africa — operating the "Cowry" contactless card and mobile payment platform that processes 350,000 daily bus fare payments for 2.3 million+ users across Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja state government transit systems. Backed by Y Combinator (W22) with $16.4 million in revenue in 2024, Touch and Pay is building West Africa's equivalent of East Africa's M-Pesa — targeting the cash-dominated microtransaction economy that represents the majority of daily transactions for Nigeria's 220 million population. Touch and Pay's Cowry card is a stored-value tap-to-pay card that works on Lagos BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) and other government-contracted transit systems — providing commuters with a cashless fare payment option that eliminates the exact-change problem and reduces driver-passenger cash handling. The platform's government partnership model provides the transaction volume that makes the economics work: Lagos BRT carries millions of riders daily, creating captive Cowry card adoption before the platform expands to retail, education fee collection, and health facility payments. Each government sector adds a new payment flow to the Cowry ecosystem, increasing card utility and reducing the switching cost for users who adopt Cowry for transit and find it convenient for other payments. In 2025, Touch and Pay competes in the West African digital payments market with Paga (Nigeria, mobile money and agency banking), OPay (Chinese-backed, Nigerian mobile money with 35M+ users), and PalmPay (Chinese-backed, Nigeria) for digital payment adoption. Nigeria's Central Bank has aggressively promoted cashless policy — the CBN's 2022 cash redesign and withdrawal limit policies created urgency for digital payment alternatives that benefited fintech platforms including Touch and Pay. The comparison to M-Pesa (which grew from transit payments in Kenya to mobile money infrastructure) validates Touch and Pay's government transit entry as a strategic pathway to broader financial services. The 2025 strategy focuses on expanding Cowry to additional Nigerian state transit systems, adding education and health payment collections, and building the merchant acceptance network that allows Cowry balances to be used for retail purchases. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Touch and Pay Technologies? Touch and Pay Technologies (TAP) is a Nigerian fintech company founded in 2020 that digitizes and processes microtransactions across Africa, particularly in Nigeria. The company aims to achieve in West Africa what M-Pesa has accomplished in East Africa, starting with bus fare payments and expanding into education, revenue collection, transportation, health insurance, and events ticketing sectors. ### What products and services does Touch and Pay Technologies offer? Touch and Pay Technologies offers microtransaction digitization services, including a bus fare payment system that processes 350,000 daily bus payments. The company has developed 'Cowry' product and provides payment solutions across education, transportation, health insurance, revenue collection, and events ticketing sectors through its platform serving 2.3M+ users. ### Who are Touch and Pay Technologies' target customers? Touch and Pay Technologies serves government entities including Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja state governments, focusing on their transportation, education, and health sectors. The company also targets consumers who use public transportation and need payment solutions across multiple everyday service sectors. ### When was Touch and Pay Technologies founded? Touch and Pay Technologies was founded in 2020, starting with bus fare payments before expanding into multiple sectors. ### Where is Touch and Pay Technologies based? Touch and Pay Technologies is based in Nigeria and operates primarily in the Nigerian and West African markets. ### What funding has Touch and Pay Technologies received? Touch and Pay Technologies has raised grant funding and was part of Y Combinator's W22 (Winter 2022) batch. ### What are Touch and Pay Technologies' key achievements and metrics? Touch and Pay Technologies achieved $16.4M in revenue in 2024 (up from $8.3M according to a conflicting report) and processes 350,000 daily bus fare payments. The platform serves over 2.3 million users across multiple sectors. ### What technology approach does Touch and Pay Technologies use? Touch and Pay Technologies specializes in digitizing microtransactions, making small everyday payments more accessible and efficient. The company has developed the 'Cowry' product as part of its payment processing technology. ### How can I get started with Touch and Pay Technologies? Based on the provided information, Touch and Pay Technologies works through partnerships with state governments and operates in the transportation, education, and health sectors. Specific contact or onboarding information is not provided in the available details. ### What are the recent developments at Touch and Pay Technologies? Touch and Pay Technologies showcased its 'Cowry' product at GITEX Africa 2024 in Marrakesh in May. The company has developed partnerships with Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja state governments and is expanding its footprint across transportation, education, health insurance, revenue collection, and events ticketing sectors. ## Tags b2c, fintech, payment-processing, africa, startup, mobile-first --- *Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*