Stitch

Stitch is a South African fintech company that provides payment infrastructure for businesses. Founded in 2019 by Kiaan Pillay, Natalie Cuthbert, and Priyen Pillay, the company initially focused on enabling businesses to access users' financial data. Kiaan Pillay, the CEO, studied computer science and finance and co-founded the company with his lifelong acquaintance and CTO, Priyen Pillay. Their journey began with the idea of simplifying person-to-person payments. The initial funding for Stitch came from investors of the previous company where Kiaan Pillay worked, Smile Identity.

The firm has since evolved into an end-to-end payment services provider. Stitch offers an API-driven platform that allows enterprise clients to manage online and in-person payments, streamline financial operations, and facilitate money movement. The business serves a range of clients, from startups to large enterprises such as MTN, MultiChoice, and Standard Bank's SnapScan. Its revenue model is based on providing these payment solutions, which include processing pay-ins, payouts, and offering payment orchestration. By unifying online and in-person payment management through a single dashboard, Stitch helps businesses improve payment success rates and reduce operational costs.

The company’s product suite is comprehensive. It includes online payments with features like "Pay by bank," in-person payment solutions through the acquisition of Exipay, and 24/7 instant payouts for withdrawals and refunds. Stitch also provides a payment orchestration platform that intelligently routes transactions across various methods and providers to optimize for cost and success rates. For e-commerce businesses on platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, Stitch offers "Stitch Express," a curated checkout experience designed to increase conversion. A key differentiator is the platform's ability to offer direct connections with multiple banks and networks, which provides built-in redundancy and enhanced reliability. The company has secured significant funding, including a $55 million round in April 2025, bringing its total raised capital to over $100 million.

Keywords: payment infrastructure, fintech, API payments, South Africa, payment gateway, online payments, in-person payments, payment orchestration, enterprise payments, financial services API, payment processing, pay-by-bank, unified commerce, recurring payments, instant payouts, fraud prevention, e-commerce payments, payment solutions, money movement, financial technology, open banking, digital payments, transaction processing, collections API, account top-ups