There is something about ‘the new’ that brings excitement and hope. It could be a new year, a new job, a marriage, a new baby, a journey, a new government, or even acceleration at work. It is the feeling that comes with knowing that the new beginning is a clean slate and perhaps, an opportunity to rewrite your story and make things better. Beginnings also reinvent people, bringing renewed determination, increased effort, and more audacious goals. People often embrace beginnings with the heightened resolution to become better versions of themselves. Undeniably, beginnings could also bring the fear of the unknown, and lots of ‘what ifs?’

The just concluded quarter was a special one as we rounded off our 20^th anniversary celebrations and reiterated our commitment to never stop pushing the boundaries of innovation to deliver a prosperous Africa, driven by a seamless exchange of value and commerce.

As we begin the new quarter, we celebrate a new dawn at Interswitch. For us, it is the start of another financial year, but also a new chapter in our journey of Inspiring Africa to Greatness. The last 20 years have been exciting, impactful, and fulfilling but we are even more excited about the new vistas ahead in the years and decades to come.

It is indeed a new phase, and we look forward to it all – the wins, the lessons, and the thrills of the unknown and the ‘what ifs?’. We anticipate interesting times ahead as we chart new paths for our business across the continent and beyond.

Above all else, we recognise that old friends and partners are invaluable in navigating the new and blazing new trails. We therefore invite you our trusted partners and friends, to continue this journey with us as we, together, create and embrace the technology that will deliver Africa's future.

It’s worth mentioning that the last 3 months in Nigeria, our home and flagship market have been both interesting and testing, with financial institutions, payment processors, merchants, businesses, and consumers all feeling the brunt. It’s gratifying to see normalcy returning, with increased availability of cash in the economy.

For us at Interswitch, it’s always been about seeing the glass as half-full, against all the odds. It was therefore quite thrilling for me to be recently notified that we closed out March 2023 (which incidentally turns out to be the end of our current financial year) with the highest number of transactions we have ever processed in a single month in our entire history of operations – more than 1.2 billion transactions, in just 30 days! Talk about silver linings amidst dark clouds. It’s a new dawn indeed, and despite the recent challenges generally experienced with transactions across the country, I have no doubt that things will only get better!

Furthermore, we are hopeful that the new quarter will spur you on to smash your goals and accelerate on all levels. It does not have to be a milestone for you to reinvent and do things differently; every second spent is an opportunity to create history.

As the new quarter beckons, I enjoin you to keep hope alive and to Never Stop.

Welcome.