Digital payments service provider Peach Payments has announced the acquisition of custom software development firm Operativa, marking its first acquisition since closing a €29 million (US$30 million) funding round led by the Apis Growth Fund II last year. This strategic move is aimed at bolstering Peach Payments’ technical capabilities and accelerating its growth trajectory.
The acquisition will see the full Operativa team integrated into Peach Payments, with Operativa co-founders Dayne Olivier and Ben Janecke assuming roles as Principal Engineers. Both Olivier and Janecke have been collaborating with Peach Payments since 2022, playing pivotal roles in building and maintaining several of the company’s payment systems and solutions. Their contributions have been crucial in developing the technical infrastructure that has supported Peach Payments’ rapid expansion, including the integration of additional payment methods like Apple Pay and the onboarding of new merchants and banking partners.
“Operativa has been a trusted partner since the very beginning of our relationship, so the opportunity to acquire the business was not only a strategic business decision but felt like a natural next step,” stated Rahul Jain, CEO and Co-Founder of Peach Payments.
Operativa has served clients across various sectors, including financial services, information security, e-commerce, and cloud hosting. In light of the acquisition, the firm is transferring operations for its other clients to ensure business continuity.
“We have always really enjoyed working with Peach Payments. We believe that the business has what it takes to become the undisputed payments leader in Africa. We see this acquisition as a call-up to the winning team,” commented Dayne Olivier.
Ben Janecke echoed this sentiment, highlighting the factors influencing their decision to sell the business, including their strong relationship with Peach Payments and the latter’s ambitious plans for the future, as well as prevailing market conditions. “We were able to build something really special with Operativa. We made significant strides working with Peach Payments as our partner, and we are confident that as an integrated business, we’ll be able to achieve even more,” he added.
Rahul Jain emphasized that bringing Operativa’s specialized skills and developers in-house would enable Peach Payments to execute its growth strategy more swiftly and efficiently. “The additional capital raised from the Apis Growth Fund II is allowing us to execute faster as we build new products and expand across Africa. Operativa has the people, skills, and intricate knowledge that comes from having worked with us on developing our systems, allowing us to hit the ground running together on some really exciting new projects,” Jain concluded.
The full acquisition is expected to be completed by August.