Crunchfish has entered a new partnership with Mercury to improve the reliability of digital payments across the Middle East and Africa.
The agreement comes as financial institutions face growing pressure to ensure payment systems continue working even during outages or disruptions. Recent global events, including issues affecting cloud services, have exposed how dependent many payment platforms are on constant internet connectivity.
The partnership, supported by Crunchfish’s Danish partner SaaS Expand, will integrate Crunchfish’s payment technology into Mercury’s infrastructure. This will allow secure transactions across different payment systems, including card networks, instant payments, stablecoin platforms, and emerging digital currencies issued by governments.
Mercury already operates across several markets in the region, placing it in a strong position to roll out the new system across both closed and open payment networks.
A key feature of the collaboration is Crunchfish’s “governed” payment model. Unlike traditional systems that rely heavily on constant connectivity, this approach allows payments to go through even when networks are down. At the same time, it keeps control within regulated financial systems.
The model works by using pre-reserved funds held within regulated institutions. This means transactions can be completed without moving money outside the system or creating credit risk. Once systems are restored, settlements are finalised without disruption.
This approach differs from older offline payment methods, which often shift risk to users’ devices or create temporary credit exposure. Instead, it maintains central control while allowing payments to continue under difficult conditions.
The first phase of the partnership will focus on testing and integrating these capabilities into Mercury’s systems. It will also demonstrate how the technology can support different payment methods while meeting regulatory requirements.
Muzaffer Hamid said resilience has become a key priority for payment providers. He noted that systems can no longer depend on continuous access to networks and cloud infrastructure, and that the partnership introduces a new way to ensure payments continue securely.
Joachim Samuelsson added that the region is seeing a clear shift towards more reliable payment systems. He said the technology allows payments to continue even when systems fail, without increasing risk or losing regulatory control.
The collaboration highlights a wider trend in the financial sector, where resilience is becoming as important as speed and convenience. As digital payments grow across Africa and the Middle East, systems that can operate under all conditions are likely to play a key role in the future of financial services.
