Several of us would probably recall a respected figure from our childhood admonishing us with the popular maxim; “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step.” The statement often had a few of us wondering; how far is a thousand miles? How much difference would one step make?

Several decades later, the words continue to ring true, as we see them play out in our daily lives. We have made several decisions in good faith, just hoping for the best, but totally unaware of what lay ahead - good, or bad. Nevertheless, we put our foot forward, determined not to look back until we saw the end. Does it mean the journey gets easier after we take the first step? Or do we often walk into complexities we hoped never to deal with?

Resilience.

“The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.”

This is the outlook that drives us at Interswitch. Whatever challenges we encounter on the way, we never forget what inspired the first step. The journey has not always been smooth, but regardless of how attractive giving up may seem; fixing our gaze on the purpose has helped us weather the storms.

Later this year, we at Interswitch will celebrate 20 years of inspiring a continent and driving digital payments across Africa. The journey has been replete with highs and lows, bending over, learnings, and resilience. Nothing has come easy, but we have remained resilient as we fought through thick and thin. This year, we look back to 20 years ago when it all began and celebrate our ability to stay strong and keep going.

This edition of The Switch Newsletter marks the end of a financial year at Interswitch and heralds the start of a new one. You can therefore expect exciting business updates, reports, product launches, and more. I enjoin you to find a comfortable position, relax and enjoy the read.

Welcome!