Canva Partners with EBANX and Capitec Pay to Unlock Cardless Subscriptions for South Africans
Sydney, Australia, Singapore, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Canva, the global visual communication platform, has become the first international company to offer recurring subscription payments to South African customers via Capitec Pay, the account-to-account payment method built by South Africa's largest personal bank — Capitec. The milestone is made possible through Canva's ongoing partnership with EBANX, a global technology company specializing in payment services for emerging markets.
South Africa: a USD 23 billion e-commerce market, largely cardless
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The announcement represents a shift in how global subscription businesses can reach South African consumers. Credit card penetration in the country ranges between 8% and 10% of the adult population, according to the South African Reserve Bank (https://www.resbank.co.za/content/dam/sarb/publications/media-releases/2024/payments/SARB%20Payments%20Study%20Report%202023%20Executive%20Summary.pdf) and the World Bank (https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/globalfindex). This limitation has historically restricted the reach of traditional card-on-file subscription models, excluding 44 million people in South Africa who do not own credit cards.
Instead of needing a credit card, Capitec Pay lets clients approve a recurring payment once in the Capitec app (https://www.ebanx.com/en/insights/articles/south-africa-s-subscription-gap-has-a-bank-native-solution/). After that, participating businesses can collect future subscription payments automatically. Canva is the first international subscription service to offer recurring payments with Capitec Pay.
Capitec is South Africa's largest personal bank by customer base, with 26 million clients (https://www.capitecbank.co.za/blog/news/2026/annual-results/) and over 16 million app users. According to Capitec, one in three South African adults uses its mobile app. "For Canva, going live as the first global merchant on this infrastructure is a removal of a structural barrier that was preventing a large portion of South Africans from accessing our platform at all," said Bianca Sibiya, Canva Africa Lead.
The offering of recurring payments through Capitec Pay by Canva in South Africa is possible thanks to its partnership with EBANX, which helped enhance the solution and became the first global payment service provider (PSP) to integrate it into cross-border payment flows.
"For years, card-based billing has been treated as the default model for global subscription products, but that default was built around consumer behavior in the United States and Western Europe, not South Africa," explained Wiza Jalakasi, Commercial Lead for Africa and the Middle East at EBANX.
EBANX has become a leading enabler of recurring alternative payment methods (APMs) (https://www.ebanx.com/en/insights/articles/ebanx-expands-recurring-alternative-payments-offering/) in cross-border digital commerce across the world. Including South Africa, the company supports recurring APMs across 12 emerging markets, enabling global merchants to reach more than 1 billion consumers, many of whom lack access to credit or debit cards.
"Capitec's philosophy is to ensure that our clients experience simple, affordable and innovative services. Recurring payments through Capitec Pay is just one of the many ways we bring that simplicity to life, offering clients a payment experience they already know and trust. Through this partnership with Canva, we are expanding our trusted payment experience and giving clients access to international merchants in an accessible way," said Francois Viviers, Group Executive of Marketing and Client Experience at Capitec.
South Africa's digital commerce market continues to grow rapidly, reaching 74% of adults and annual growth projected at 20% through 2028, according to Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI) data analyzed by EBANX. By that year, South Africa's e-commerce market is expected to represent a USD 23 billion opportunity, based on PCMI insights featured in EBANX's Beyond Borders study (https://hubs.ly/Q040LdtF0).
EBANX is the leading technology platform connecting global businesses to the world's fastest-growing digital markets. Founded in 2012 in Brazil, EBANX was built with a mission to expand access to international digital commerce. Leveraging proprietary technology, deep market expertise, and robust infrastructure, the platform enables global businesses to offer hundreds of local payment methods and streamline cross-border payments across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. With a global footprint, it established a technology and regulatory headquarters in Singapore in 2026. More than just payments, EBANX drives growth, enhances sales, and delivers seamless purchase experiences for businesses and end users alike.
Launched in 2013, Canva is a free online visual communications and collaboration platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design. Featuring a simple drag-and-drop user interface and a vast range of templates ranging from presentations, documents, websites, social media graphics, posters, apparel to videos, plus a huge library of fonts, stock photography, illustrations, video footage, and audio clips, anyone can take an idea and create something beautiful.
Capitec Limited (JSE: CPI) is South Africa's largest retail bank by active client numbers, serving 26 million active clients. It is recognized as the country's leading digital bank, with 16 million active app users. Capitec offers simple, affordable and transparent banking solutions through innovative technology and personalized service via its app, online banking, and a network of 866 branches and 8,771 ATMs and cash-accepting devices. The Group uses data and technology to understand client needs and provide tailored solutions across Personal Banking, Business Banking, value-added services, insurance, and international consumer lending through its subsidiary AvaFin. Capitec aims to make a meaningful difference and unlock growth opportunities for all.
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