Kenswitch, Kenya’s domestic payment switch, has entered a partnership with Wibmo, a PayU subsidiary, to provide stronger authentication for online card transactions routed through the local switch.

Through the deal, banks and other financial institutions linked to Kenswitch will be able to use Wibmo’s Access Control Server (ACS), which employs EMV 3‑D Secure technology to confirm that online purchases are made by the authorised cardholder.

The ACS supports major international payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard, allowing Kenyan issuers to meet global authentication standards while keeping transactions within the domestic infrastructure.

Eligible cards already issued by participating banks can be used for online purchases that are routed through Kenswitch, subject to network rules, issuer participation, commercial agreements, technical integration and regulatory thresholds.

Kenswitch’s enhanced online acquiring engine evaluates transaction risk in real time and decides whether a payment can proceed without additional verification or whether the cardholder must authenticate using one‑time passwords, biometrics or push‑based approvals, depending on the issuer’s setup.

John Mukono, CEO of Kenswitch, said the collaboration positions the switch to deliver international‑standard authentication solutions to its network members and to protect cardholders while minimizing unnecessary interruptions to legitimate purchases.

Shailesh Paul, CEO of Wibmo, highlighted that the Wibmo Payment Authentication suite will enable Kenswitch to offer global‑standard cardholder protection and a secure, scalable digital payment journey for Kenyan banks and merchants.

Kenswitch, regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya, connects banks, SACCOs, micro‑finance institutions and mobile‑money providers across a network that includes more than 2,500 ATMs, 50,000 POS terminals and 80,000 agents, as well as e‑commerce channels.

Wibmo, based in India with operations in the United States and Indonesia, describes itself as India’s largest authentication service provider and also offers fraud‑risk management, prepaid solutions and merchant acquiring services.