BankservAfrica
BankservAfrica is an automated clearing house located in Johannesburg, South Africa, serving both national and pan-African transactions. It annually processes a significant volume of transactions, encompassing various sectors such as banking, corporates, government, and retail. Its role as Africa's largest automated payments clearing house is primarily attributed to its substantial transaction volume.

History 
The establishment of BankservAfrica originated from the need to unify shared services within the South African banking industry. Prior to its formation in 1972 as the Automated Clearing Bureau (Pty) Limited, various industry-owned companies operated independently in different payment channels. The transformation aimed to streamline operations, leading to the eventual rebranding as BankservAfrica in 2010.

Shareholders 
BankservAfrica is entirely owned by South African commercial banks, with the following shareholders:
 Absa Bank Limited (23.125%)
 FirstRand Limited (23.125%)
 Nedbank Limited (23.125%)
 Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (23.125%)
 Dandyshelf Group (7.5%), comprising:
 Grobank
 Bidvest Bank
 Capitec Bank
 CitiBank
 Investec Bank
 Mercantile Bank
 Teba Bank Limited

Activities 
BankservAfrica plays a pivotal role in ensuring regulated and compliant interbank transactions aligned with international standards. Its significance as a trusted partner in the South African financial services industry contributes to the stability of the national payments system. The company operates under the oversight of the Payments Association of South Africa, the South African Reserve Bank, and other central banks within the African region.

Notably, BankservAfrica introduced the groundbreaking SASWITCH brand in the 1980s, enabling remote ATM access across various institutions, regardless of network protocol.

Services 
BankservAfrica offers a comprehensive range of services, including payment collection, switching, clearing, settlement, consulting, system hosting, and business process outsourcing. It also provides SWIFT bureau and payment solutions, disaster recovery, and business continuity services. The company employs dual processing through production and disaster recovery sites, ensuring uninterrupted core processing in the event of a disaster.

References

External links 
 
 

Banking in South Africa
Financial services companies established in 1993
Payment clearing systems