Canva Becomes First International Company to Offer Recurring Capitec Pay Subscriptions

The development marks a shift in how global subscription businesses can reach South African consumers, where limited credit card penetration has historically restricted access to traditional card-on-file subscription models.

Credit card penetration in South Africa ranges between 8% and 10% of the adult population, according to the South African Reserve Bank and the World Bank. This has historically limited the reach of card-based subscription services, excluding 44 million people in South Africa who do not own credit cards.

Capitec Pay offers an alternative by allowing clients to approve a recurring payment once through the Capitec app. Participating businesses can then automatically collect future subscription payments. Canva is the first international subscription service to offer recurring payments through Capitec Pay.

Capitec is South Africa's largest personal bank by customer base, with 26 million clients and more than 16 million app users. According to Capitec, one in three South African adults uses its mobile app.

“For Canva, going live as the first global merchant on this infrastructure is a removal of a structural barrier that was preventing a large portion of South Africans from accessing our platform at all,” said Bianca Sibiya, Canva Africa Lead.

Canva's recurring payments offering through Capitec Pay has been made possible through its partnership with EBANX. The global payment technology company helped enhance the solution and became the first global payment service provider to integrate Capitec Pay into cross-border payment flows.

“For years, card-based billing has been treated as the default model for global subscription products, but that default was built around consumer behavior in the United States and Western Europe, not South Africa,” explained Wiza Jalakasi, Commercial Lead for Africa and the Middle East at EBANX.

EBANX has become a leading enabler of recurring alternative payment methods in cross-border digital commerce worldwide. Including South Africa, the company supports recurring alternative payment methods across 12 emerging markets, enabling global merchants to reach more than 1 billion consumers, many of whom lack access to credit or debit cards.

“Capitec's philosophy is to ensure that our clients experience simple, affordable and innovative services. Recurring payments through Capitec Pay is just one of the many ways we bring that simplicity to life, offering clients a payment experience they already know and trust. Through this partnership with Canva, we are expanding our trusted payment experience and giving clients access to international merchants in an accessible way,” said Francois Viviers, Group Executive of Marketing and Client Experience at Capitec.

South Africa's digital commerce market continues to grow, reaching 74% of adults, with annual growth projected at 20% through 2028, according to Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence data analyzed by EBANX. By 2028, South Africa's e-commerce market is expected to represent a USD 23 billion opportunity, based on Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence insights featured in EBANX's Beyond Borders study.

EBANX, founded in 2012 in Brazil, is a technology platform connecting global businesses to the world's fastest-growing digital markets. It was built with a mission to expand access to international digital commerce. Its proprietary technology, market expertise and infrastructure enable global businesses to offer hundreds of local payment methods and streamline cross-border payments across Latin America, Africa and Asia. With a global footprint, EBANX established a technology and regulatory headquarters in Singapore in 2026. The company focuses on payments, growth, sales and purchase experiences for businesses and end users.

Canva was launched in 2013 as a free online visual communications and collaboration platform with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design. Its drag-and-drop interface and extensive range of templates cover presentations, documents, websites, social media graphics, posters, apparel and videos, alongside a large library of fonts, stock photography, illustrations, video footage and audio clips.

Capitec Limited, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as JSE: CPI, is South Africa's largest retail bank by active client numbers, serving 26 million active clients. It is recognized as the country's leading digital bank, with 16 million active app users. Capitec provides simple, affordable and transparent banking solutions through its app, online banking and a network of 866 branches and 8,771 ATMs and cash-accepting devices.

The Group uses data and technology to understand client needs and provide tailored solutions across Personal Banking, Business Banking, value-added services, insurance and international consumer lending through its subsidiary AvaFin. Capitec aims to make a meaningful difference and unlock growth opportunities for all.

The launch of recurring Capitec Pay payments through Canva gives international subscription businesses a bank-native payment route in a market where credit card ownership remains limited, while expanding access to global digital services for South African consumers.