Money Badger
Accept Bitcoin Lightning payments at South African retailers with instant Rand, Bitcoin, or stablecoin settlement.
Why We Recommend Money Badger
MoneyBadger is a South African fintech company that has deployed its payment infrastructure to over 1,600 retail outlets including Pick n Pay stores. The company has processed over 20,000 transactions and secured R7.2 million (approximately $400,000 USD) in pre-seed funding from P1 Ventures along with Bitcoin-focused angel investors.
The platform operates as a payment gateway rather than holding customer funds. Merchants receive instant conversion to South African Rand at current exchange rates, eliminating volatility risk. Settlement options include ZAR, Bitcoin, or stablecoins with next-business-day ZAR payouts.
MoneyBadger has established partnerships with major South African payment providers including Ecentric Payment Systems, Peach Payments, Zapper, and Scan to Pay, integrating with their existing infrastructure. The head of legal and compliance chairs the Crypto Asset Association of South Africa, indicating regulatory engagement in the local market.
Best For
MoneyBadger is ideal for South African merchants who want to accept Bitcoin payments without taking on cryptocurrency volatility risk. Retailers, restaurants, and service providers can enable crypto payments at existing point-of-sale systems without purchasing new hardware, receiving settlement in familiar Rand currency.
The platform serves Bitcoin holders in South Africa who want to spend their cryptocurrency at physical retail locations. Users with Lightning wallets from providers like Blink, Strike, Muun, or exchange wallets from Luno, VALR, and Binance can pay at supported stores by scanning QR codes.
Larger enterprises benefit from the Custom tier offering direct POS integration, automated accounting, and custom reconciliation formats. Businesses processing significant crypto payment volume can negotiate volume discounts and receive tailored integration support.
Services & Features
- Lightning Network payments
- Instant ZAR settlement
- Pick n Pay integration
- QR code scanning
- Luno/VALR/Binance wallet support
- Merchant POS integration
- Bitcoin and stablecoin settlement
- Custom enterprise API
Considerations
Currently focused on South Africa with limited international availability. Requires customers to already have a Bitcoin Lightning wallet. Detailed security and custody documentation is not publicly available.
