In 2025, a student in Durban receives tuition support from relatives in Canada. At the same moment, someone in Johannesburg sends money to family in Mozambique. These may look like unrelated moments, yet they reflect a single shift shaping Africa’s future: seamless cross-border payments.
Every year, about $100bn flows into Africa in remittances. This is more than the continent attracts in foreign investment, yet too much of that value is eroded by high fees, long delays and limited access.
Addressing this gap is at the heart of the G20’s Roadmap for Enhancing Cross-Border Payments, which aims to lower costs, improve speed, increase transparency and widen access by 2027.
This moment is especially important for Africa. And it is why the launch of FNB’s Globba, a cross-border payment solution developed in partnership with Mastercard, is significant. It shows how global ambition can translate into everyday impact.
“Globba is more than a payment solution — it’s a gateway connecting Africa to the world. Every cross-border transaction represents a step towards seamless global payments, and this partnership with Mastercard ensures our customers experience speed, security, and transparency — setting a new standard for cross-border transactions,” says Richard Porter, CEO FNB Forex.
When innovation meets real-world needs
Globba is a cross-border remittance platform built directly into the FNB and RMB Banking App, and online banking. It enables customers to send money to around 120 countries, including 45 across Africa, with payout options into bank accounts, mobile wallets or cash pickup points. Fees start from about R30, foreign exchange rates are fully transparent and near real-time delivery is offered where supported.
These features matter because financial inclusion in Africa depends on flexibility. Some people use bank accounts, many rely on mobile wallets, and others still depend on cash. Globba meets these varying realities.
When payments work for people, they work for economies. Trade becomes smoother, entrepreneurship expands and support from loved ones abroad reaches further. A system once viewed as a lifeline becomes a bridge to opportunity
— Sizwe Nxedlana, CEO of FNB Private Segment
Safety is equally important. Built on FNB’s established banking infrastructure and compliance systems, Globba helps move remittances away from informal and often risky channels into formal, regulated systems.
“As a bank, our responsibility is to remain a trusted custodian of customers’ money, and that means innovation can never come at the expense of safety or confidence in the system,” says Sizwe Nxedlana, CEO of FNB Private Segment.
“These everyday gains add to broader economic value. When payments work for people, they work for economies. Trade becomes smoother, entrepreneurship expands and support from loved ones abroad reaches further. A system once viewed as a lifeline becomes a bridge to opportunity.”
Africa’s turning point in a global agenda
The G20’s cross-border payments strategy is built on four pillars: speed, cost, transparency, and access. Globba aligns with each of these. But fast payments alone are not enough. Trust and accessibility ensure that a system reaches everyone, not only those already financially included.
This is where Globba’s embedded nature matters. Because it sits within the FNB App, under a fully regulated environment, it aligns directly with South Africa’s Vision 2030+ payments agenda, which calls for an inclusive, secure, and integrated ecosystem.
As digital public infrastructure becomes central to economic participation, FNB’s partnership with Mastercard shows how policy and practice can reinforce one another. Its multi-rail strategy supports both banked and underserved customers, connecting more than accounts — it connects lives.
Gabriel Swanepoel, Mastercard Southern Africa country manager, says cross-border payments are the cornerstone of Africa’s digital economy, connecting families, fuelling SMEs, and supporting regional trade.
“With Mastercard Move’s innovative solutions, we’re empowering FNB customers with greater choice and flexibility in sending money across borders — enhancing transparency and building confidence in cross-border transactions,” he says.
With SA having hosted G20 and B20 engagements this year, the timing is significant. Globba demonstrates Africa’s ability to shape the future of payments — not just adapt to global trends
Building systems that include everyone
Africa’s payment future will not be built on isolated apps. It will be shaped by collaboration, shared rails and open systems that scale. Globba is part of that shift. When money crosses borders more affordably and predictably, the impact is both economic and personal.
“One of the biggest barriers across Africa is reaching people in rural or outlying areas where access and mobile connectivity are limited.
“Globba addresses this directly. It’s flexible payout options allow the system to meet people where they are instead of expecting the user to navigate around and adapt to out-of-reach systems,” says Nxedlana.
Looking ahead: the opportunity in motion
In the next two years, Globba’s success will be measured by adoption, inclusion impact and expansion. While the rollout begins in SA, it has clear potential to reach customers across the continent and lays the foundation for innovation aligned with G20 priorities.
Payments without borders do not simply move money. They unlock opportunity. With Globba, FNB and Mastercard show how the next generation of payment solutions can connect Africa now.
In the context of SA’s G20 Presidency, platforms like Globba position the country not only as a participant but as a builder of the continent’s financial architecture. Money without borders means connection, opportunity and growth. And when systems are built for people, everyone moves forward.
This article was sponsored by Mastercard.
