Interswitch Launches 'Core' Forum to Boost Collaboration, Operational Excellence in Africa's Digital Payments Ecosystem
LAGOS, Nigeria – Interswitch has launched Core by Interswitch, a first-of-its-kind industry forum aimed at strengthening collaboration among payments operations professionals and enhancing operational excellence across Africa's financial services sector.
Interswitch, one of Africa's leading integrated payments and digital commerce companies, has launched Core by Interswitch, a new industry forum designed to promote collaboration, knowledge sharing and operational excellence among professionals driving the continent's digital payments ecosystem.
The inaugural breakfast forum, held on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, brought together more than 400 participants from microfinance banks, commercial banks, fintech companies, Interswitch and other organisations within the financial services industry.
The initiative recognises the often-overlooked operations professionals whose expertise ensures the smooth, secure and reliable processing of digital payment transactions. Through keynote presentations, panel discussions and networking sessions, attendees explored practical solutions to operational challenges while sharing best practices to improve service delivery across the payments ecosystem.
Discussions focused on key operational areas including dispute management, settlement and reconciliation, customer support, customer experience, third-party processing, and Front-End Processor (FEP) administration and monitoring. Participants agreed that strengthening these critical functions is essential to delivering seamless digital payment experiences and sustaining trust in the financial system.
Speaking at the event, Babafemi Ogungbamila, Executive Vice President, Operations and Technology at Interswitch, said the forum reflects the company's commitment to recognising the professionals who keep payment systems running while fostering greater collaboration across the industry.
According to him, every successful digital transaction depends on dedicated professionals whose work often takes place behind the scenes, adding that investing in people, processes and partnerships is just as important as investing in technology.
He noted that Core by Interswitch was created to encourage shared learning, strengthen industry relationships and ultimately improve the quality of service delivered to financial institutions and their customers.
Participants also emphasised the growing importance of operational excellence in maintaining resilient payment infrastructure as digital financial services continue to expand across Africa. They observed that stronger collaboration among financial institutions, fintechs and payment service providers would improve responsiveness, resolve operational issues more efficiently and enhance customer satisfaction.
Beyond recognising the contributions of operations professionals, the forum also provided a platform for professional development and industry engagement, helping to build a stronger community equipped to respond to the evolving demands of Africa's digital economy.
Interswitch said the launch of Core by Interswitch aligns with its broader commitment to strengthening Africa's digital payments ecosystem by promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and operational excellence across the financial services value chain.
The company expressed confidence that the initiative would continue to equip payments operations professionals with the insights, networks and expertise required to build a more resilient, customer-focused and innovative digital payments ecosystem across the continent.
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