Kora Joins IATA Financial Gateway to Streamline Airline Settlements Across Africa
Kora, a payment infrastructure platform, has joined the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Financial Gateway (IFG), giving airlines access to Africa’s payment ecosystem through a single integration. The move is designed to simplify airline settlement processes and improve payment acceptance across the continent.
IATA Financial Gateway is an airline payment orchestration and management platform that brings together global, regional, and local payment partners. Through the platform, airlines and travel agencies can access a mix of payment options intended to improve acceptance rates, lower transaction costs, and better serve customers across different markets.
With Kora now integrated into IFG, airlines using the gateway can accept payments across Africa through one connection. The available payment methods include cards, bank transfers, mobile money, and local alternative payment methods. According to the announcement, this removes the need for airlines to build and manage multiple separate integrations on their own.
The partnership comes as Africa continues to emerge as a major aviation growth market. The continent is expected to add more than 300 million new passengers by 2050. At the same time, airlines expanding into African markets have often faced operational difficulties linked to fragmented local payment rails, foreign exchange complexity, disconnected settlement systems, and the need to manage multiple payment service providers across countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, and South Africa.
Kora said its integration with IATA is intended to reduce these barriers by giving airlines access to its payment infrastructure through a more streamlined setup. The company described Africa as a growth opportunity that requires strong infrastructure now, rather than later.
Dickson Nsofor, CEO of Kora, said the collaboration shows that the necessary infrastructure is in place for global airlines to expand into African markets without having to choose between growth and payment complexity. He noted that, with Kora inside IFG, airlines can access both market expansion and settlement support.
IATA said the addition of Kora strengthens IFG’s ability to serve airlines operating in Africa or planning to expand there. Kamil Al-Awadhi, Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, said the gateway is designed to increase flexibility in travel payment processing and support a cost-effective payment strategy for airlines and travel suppliers.
IATA currently represents more than 370 international airlines worldwide. With Kora joining the gateway, those airlines may now be able to tap into Kora’s African payment stack through a single point of access, subject to the markets where Kora operates.
Industry Analysis
The partnership highlights the growing importance of payment infrastructure in aviation expansion across Africa. For airlines, the ability to access local payment methods and settlement support through one integration can reduce operational friction and make market entry more efficient. It also reflects wider demand for infrastructure that can handle regional complexity while supporting cross-border commerce. As African air travel continues to expand, integrated payment systems may become a key competitive advantage for carriers and travel platforms serving the region.
