As Africa’s digital economy expands across social commerce, freelance services, marketplace transactions and cross-border trade, one of its most pressing challenges remains unresolved, which is trust.

To bridge this gap, Nigerian technology entrepreneur Mgbeoji Austin, yesterday, announced the launch of PaySureFy, Africa’s first AI-powered cross-border escrow and trust infrastructure, designed to protect buyers, sellers, freelancers, small businesses, marketplaces, corporates, government institutions and diaspora users from fraud, failed deliveries and broken agreements.

The platform, now live via its website, mobile web and desktop browser, integrates escrow-protected workflows, identity verification, AI-driven fraud intelligence, dispute resolution, compliance-aware payment flows, multilingual support and cross-border transaction logic. Its Android app is available for direct download, with app store rollout expected in July.

A key part of PaySureFy’s regulatory positioning is its non-custodial model. Funds do not sit with PaySureFy; instead, they move through licensed banking and payment partners, while PaySureFy provides the trust layer, identity checks, fraud monitoring, release conditions and dispute handling.

Speaking at the launch, Austin said: “Trust is not just a moral issue in commerce; it is infrastructure. If people cannot verify who they are dealing with, protect a transaction, document agreements and resolve disputes fairly, digital commerce will continue to lose value to fraud and fear.”

He said the platform supports individual accounts for everyday buyers, sellers and freelancers, as well as enterprise-grade accounts for corporates, government parastatals and institutions requiring multi-authorisation and review controls. The platform also offers multilingual support across Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Twi, Swahili, French, Mandarin, Spanish and more, ensuring accessibility for diverse users.

Austin is joined by co-founder Adeleye Raymond as Chief Financial Officer, strengthening PaySureFy’s financial strategy, compliance readiness and commercial growth. Together, they aim to position PaySureFy not just as a fintech product, but as Trust-as-a-Service for Africa’s digital economy.

“Payments move money,” Austin added. “Trust infrastructure determines whether that money should move, when it should move, and whether both parties are protected.”