How direct debit or debit orders works in Zambia

Exective summary

Over the past five years, Zambia’s financial landscape has witnessed gradual but meaningful progress in the adoption and regulation of direct debit systems. Direct debit, a payment mechanism allowing automatic recurring deductions from a customer’s account to pay bills or loans, has traditionally played a smaller role compared to cash and mobile money transactions in Zambia’s largely cash-dependent economy. However, increasing digitization efforts by regulators, banks, and fintech firms have positioned direct debit as a critical component in promoting payment automation and financial inclusion.

As of 2024, Zambia boasts over 12 million active mobile money wallets representing roughly 60% of the adult population, but only a fraction of this base currently utilizes direct debit mandates for regular payments. The Bank of Zambia’s push for modernizing payment systems and improving interoperability among banks and mobile money operators is setting the stage for broader adoption of direct debit in the near future.

Also read: Are you still chasing payments? Direct debit can turn your loan collections around

Regulatory framework

Zambia’s payments ecosystem is governed primarily by the National Payment Systems Act of 2007, which empowers the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) to oversee the design, implementation, and regulation of national payment systems, including direct debit. Key regulatory milestones between 2019 and 2024 include:

• Licensing requirements: All entities offering payment services, whether commercial banks, mobile money operators (MNOs), or fintech companies, must obtain authorization from BoZ. In 2025, fintech giant Flutterwave was granted a payment system license, enabling them to offer direct debit and bulk payout services, expanding Zambia’s payments ecosystem beyond traditional players.
• Operational directives: BoZ regularly issues directives to improve security, customer protection, and interoperability. For example, in 2020, guidelines were issued to govern electronic money issuance and mobile payments, while DDACC operational rules define how direct debit transactions should be processed and cleared.
• Risk and compliance: BoZ enforces anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, ensuring that payment service providers maintain high compliance standards. These regulations safeguard consumers and reduce fraud risks associated with automated payments.
• Oversight framework: The BoZ aligns its supervision with international standards such as the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMI), ensuring that Zambia’s clearing and settlement systems including ZIPSS and DDACC maintain resilience, efficiency, and transparency.

This regulatory foundation ensures a secure and stable environment for direct debit, which is essential for fostering trust among users and encouraging adoption.

How it works in practice

The direct debit process in Zambia is centered around the Direct Debit and Credit Clearing (DDACC) system, managed by the Zambia Electronic Clearing House Limited (ZECHL), the national clearing house connecting banks, mobile money platforms, and fintechs.

The typical workflow is as follows:

• Mandate setup: A customer signs an agreement (mandate) with a service provider authorizing recurring withdrawals from their bank account or mobile wallet. This can happen physically or digitally, depending on the provider’s infrastructure.
• Initiation of debit: When a payment is due (e.g., monthly electricity bill), the service provider submits a debit request to its bank or payment service provider.
• Batch processing and clearing: ZECHL processes these debit requests in batches daily through the DDACC system, which verifies and nets payments between banks and mobile money operators.
• Settlement: Final settlement occurs through the Zambia Interbank Payment and Settlement System (ZIPSS), the real-time gross settlement system operated under BoZ’s supervision. ZIPSS was upgraded in October 2023 to the ISO 20022 messaging standard, enabling smoother communication and faster processing.
• Funds transfer: Once settled, funds are transferred from the customer’s account or wallet to the payee’s account.

In addition to batch processing, ongoing developments aim to enable real-time or near-real-time direct debit transactions to increase speed and convenience.

Key market participants

The direct debit ecosystem in Zambia includes a mix of traditional and emerging players:

Commercial Banks: Zambia has over 20 licensed commercial banks including Zanaco, Stanbic, Absa Zambia, First Capital Bank, and UBA Zambia. These banks are the primary processors of direct debit payments via ZECHL’s clearing system. Most have developed corporate banking channels that support mandate management and payment processing for their business customers.

Mobile Money Operators (MNOs): MTN MoMo and Airtel Money are the largest mobile money providers with over 12 million active wallets combined as of 2024. While mobile wallets mainly facilitate person-to-person (P2P) payments and merchant transactions, they have begun enabling wallet-to-bank and wallet-to-merchant direct debit transactions for recurring payments.

Fintechs and Payment Service Providers: Licensed fintech companies like Flutterwave and DPO Zambia are entering the market with API-driven platforms to provide automated recurring payment solutions, including direct debit features that integrate with banks and mobile wallets. These companies are expanding access for smaller merchants and lenders.

Zambia Electronic Clearing House Limited (ZECHL): ZECHL operates Zambia’s main clearing infrastructure, including the DDACC and the National Financial Switch (NFS). It serves as the technical hub connecting all banks, MNOs, and PSPs, ensuring transaction clearing and settlement are completed securely and efficiently.

Also read: What are the legal consequences of failed direct debit due to insufficient funds?

Current adoption and use cases

Direct debit usage in Zambia is still developing, yet there are clear indications of gradual growth as financial institutions, businesses, and service providers explore its potential for managing recurring payments. Among the most prominent applications is in loan repayment collection. Commercial banks, as well as microfinance institutions, have increasingly recognized the value of automating repayment schedules to reduce the risk of late or missed payments. By setting up direct debit mandates, lenders are able to secure more predictable cash flows and improve operational efficiency. Some institutions have even introduced customer incentives, such as discounted interest rates or reduced administrative fees, for those who agree to adopt automated debit arrangements, viewing this as a way to encourage broader acceptance while minimizing collection costs.

Utility companies, including those responsible for electricity, water, and telecommunications services, have also started to integrate direct debit into their billing systems, particularly in urban areas where bank account penetration is higher. For households and businesses in cities, this method offers the convenience of ensuring that essential services remain uninterrupted without requiring manual intervention each billing cycle. However, in rural regions, where access to formal banking remains limited and cash transactions remain deeply ingrained, many customers still rely on prepaid meters, over-the-counter cash payments, or voucher-based systems, which slows the expansion of automated billing models outside metropolitan centers.

In the education sector, some private schools and higher institutions have adopted direct debit to simplify tuition fee collection. For parents and guardians, this provides a structured way to spread payments across the academic term without the need to physically visit the school or make separate transfers each month. Educational institutions benefit from a more reliable inflow of funds, reducing administrative burdens associated with manual payment tracking.

Emerging digital services are also beginning to make use of direct debit for recurring charges. Microinsurance products, subscription-based content platforms, and software services are increasingly leveraging automated payments to maintain consistent customer engagement and reduce churn caused by missed manual renewals. Although this segment is still relatively small, it represents an area of future growth as digital adoption rises and consumers become more comfortable with continuous, automated transactions.

Within the mobile money ecosystem, a form of indirect direct debit has developed through wallet-based recurring payments for airtime, internet data bundles, and merchant services. While these arrangements may not always operate under formal banking mandates, they reflect consumer behavior that is aligned with the concept of automated payments. As integration between mobile wallets and traditional bank accounts continues to improve, the infrastructure for more structured direct debit services within mobile channels is likely to strengthen, making it easier to link wallet balances to recurring financial obligations.

Despite these advances, several factors continue to limit widespread adoption. Low financial literacy remains a challenge, as many consumers are unfamiliar with how direct debit works or wary of allowing automated access to their funds. Limited internet connectivity outside urban areas reduces access to digital banking tools that support these services. Additionally, a strong cultural preference for cash and manual control over financial transactions has kept overall penetration of direct debit modest when compared to the rapid and widespread adoption of mobile money for everyday transfers and bill payments.

Also read: How direct debit works in Kenya

Challenges and limitations

Several factors slow the growth of direct debit in Zambia:

• Low awareness and trust: Many Zambians remain unfamiliar with direct debit, often fearing unauthorized deductions. Cultural preferences lean toward cash or mobile wallet transfers, which feel more controllable.
• Limited interoperability: Although ZECHL and NFS promote integration, certain mobile money and bank platforms still operate in silos, limiting seamless cross-platform direct debit transactions.
• Technical reliability issues: Occasional transaction failures, processing delays, and system downtimes undermine user confidence, especially among smaller merchants and consumers.
• Security concerns: Mobile payment fraud including phishing and social engineering attacks targeting mobile wallets raises concerns over the safety of automated payments. BoZ and service providers have increased cybersecurity measures but risks persist.
• Regulatory complexity: Fintech startups face high compliance costs and procedural hurdles to obtain payment system licenses, slowing innovation and entry.
• Infrastructure gaps: Internet and smartphone penetration remain uneven, especially in rural Zambia, restricting digital direct debit uptake among a large portion of the population.

What lies ahead for direct debit in Zambia

Over the past few years, Zambia’s direct debit system has become more structured and reliable. The Bank of Zambia has continued to shape the regulatory framework, the Zambia Electronic Clearing House (ZECHL) has kept the core processing systems running, and the ZIPSS platform has been upgraded to handle settlements more quickly and consistently. Together, these changes suggest that the country’s payment infrastructure is moving past its initial setup phase and gradually evolving into a more connected and automated system.

Even with these improvements, direct debit still plays a much smaller role than mobile money, which remains the preferred option for everyday transactions due to its reach and simplicity. For direct debit to gain wider acceptance, key barriers need to be addressed. Consumers need to feel more confident about allowing automatic deductions from their accounts, systems across banks and mobile operators must work more smoothly together, and digital access in rural areas must improve so that participation is not limited to urban users.

If these gaps are closed, direct debit could become a practical tool for many more people and businesses. It could help companies reduce late payments, give individuals an easier way to manage bills, and contribute to a more efficient financial system overall. Over time, broader adoption could also support Zambia’s financial inclusion goals by making automated payments accessible beyond city centers and large institutions.