Happy Pay and Ozow have partnered to expand zero deposit Buy Now Pay Later access for merchants and consumers across South Africa’s digital commerce ecosystem.
Happy Pay and Ozow have announced a new partnership aimed at expanding access to zero deposit, interest-free Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services for merchants and consumers across South Africa.
The collaboration will allow merchants connected to Ozow’s payment platform to activate Happy Pay’s BNPL offering without requiring additional development work, new contracts or major changes to existing checkout systems.
According to the companies, the integration has been designed to operate directly within merchants’ existing Ozow payment flows, allowing businesses to offer instalment payment flexibility almost immediately after activation.
Ozow currently connects businesses to more than 47 million South African bank account holders across e-commerce, in-store payments, QR transactions and payment link channels. Its merchant network includes a number of major retail and consumer brands operating within the country’s digital commerce sector.
Happy Pay’s model differs from traditional BNPL systems by using an ad-subsidised structure, where instalment costs are supported through merchant partnerships rather than consumer interest charges or deposit requirements.
The companies say the partnership responds to growing consumer demand for more flexible payment options at checkout while also helping merchants reduce abandoned purchases linked to deposits, interest charges and complicated application processes.
According to Happy Pay CEO Wesley Billett, Buy Now Pay Later services are increasingly becoming a standard expectation within modern retail and e-commerce environments.
Ozow Chief Commercial Officer Lyle Eckstein said the partnership aims to give merchants access to payment flexibility without adding operational complexity to their existing systems.
Beyond payment flexibility, Happy Pay says its platform also uses AI-driven advertising technology to connect consumers with products and merchants based on purchasing intent and behavioural patterns, supporting customer acquisition and additional revenue opportunities for retailers.
The partnership forms part of Happy Pay’s broader growth strategy within South Africa’s fintech and digital commerce sectors. The company recently secured a $5 million seed funding round led by Partech and says it now serves more than 600,000 registered users across its expanding retail and e-commerce network.
As digital payments and flexible financing solutions continue evolving within South Africa’s retail landscape, the partnership highlights the growing role fintech collaborations are playing in improving accessibility, consumer flexibility and checkout performance for businesses and shoppers alike.
