Bank transfers are now the most common payment method in Nigeria – a staple for many everyday Nigerians – yet the process remains frustratingly manual and prone to human error.

Whether in a supermarket queue, at a market stall, or paying an online vendor, Nigerians still squint at screenshots, double-check WhatsApp messages, strain to hear shopkeepers repeating their account numbers, and type ten digits with exaggerated caution.

And even then, mistakes happen. Money goes to the wrong recipient, transfers fail without explanation, and everyone is left dealing with delays, reversals, and rising frustration across an economy that’s becoming more digital by the day.

There hasn’t been a real solution – until now.

Most alternatives like digital wallets, QR codes, and alternative banking demand major shifts in customer behaviour and even the country’s payment infrastructure.

Instead of trying to change how Nigerians pay, AidaPay founder and lead software engineer Musefiu Agbeniga asked a simpler question: What if we just made the existing method easier?

His insight was straightforward: if the biggest pain point in digital transfers is typing a bank account number, then that’s the step that needs to disappear.

The ScanPay Solution

Enter ScanPay, AidaPay’s latest innovation designed to solve exactly this problem.

ScanPay is a feature inside the AidaPay app, which allows users to send money simply by scanning bank details, selecting the amount and pressing send.

Instead of typing numbers manually, the user opens the ScanPay feature and hovers their phone over the bank details so the scanner can read them using their smartphone’s inbuilt camera. ScanPay then reads and auto-fills the account information instantly – scanning, cross-checking the bank, and auto-populating the fields – often identifying the recipient before the user lifts their finger.

The system works in low-light, and can read any kind of text – whether the details are displayed on a screen, printed on paper, or scribbled on a handwritten note.

“Customers usually have to pause, type, check, and re-check,” Musefiu told Techpoint. “ScanPay removes that entire step. Payments become as simple as a few seconds of AI-powered scanning.”

At its core, ScanPay uses a proprietary AI model trained specifically on the formats and quirks of Nigerian account details. Unlike generic OCR (optical character recognition), ScanPay’s engine has been trained on thousands of real samples – from blurry WhatsApp screenshots to Instagram vendor posts, receipts, invoices, and handwriting.

The AI doesn’t just read text – it understands Nigerian banking context. It can distinguish between an account number and a phone number, match the bank name, and pre-fill the transfer form inside AidaPay in seconds.

A process that normally takes 30 to 45 seconds of careful typing now drops to under five. ScanPay also removes the risk of human error – no more mishearing someone reading out digits or squinting at a sign across the counter.

Even setting aside end-users, ScanPay is also a game changer for merchants. For many Nigerian small businesses, the challenge isn’t attracting customers – it’s keeping queues moving. For them, even shaving 20 – 30 seconds off each transaction could have a meaningful impact during peak hours.

EarlyBird Access Now Open

ScanPay signals a new chapter in African fintech – one where AI blends seamlessly into the most ordinary moments of digital life, quietly removing friction without users even noticing.

And that chapter is now open. AidaPay has just launched its initial BETA phase, dubbed “EarlyBird Access”, and is actively onboarding users with a limited time offer of free transfers and other perks.

So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

“People have been realising that they’ll never have to type an account number again,” Musefiu said. “It has been hugely gratifying – our system solves a real problem, making life easier for all of us.”

AidaPay is planning a full-scale launch rollout for ScanPay over the coming weeks, with the aim of eventually becoming Nigeria’s go-to for daily digital transactions. Download the AidaPay app and visit https://aidapay.ng/earlybird now to sign up for EarlyBird Access to the ScanPay tool, to make the most of BETA-phase offers!