Thunes a financial technology company that provides a global cross-border payment infrastructure has announced the onboarding of Sterling Bank into its Direct Global Network, a move set to enhance cross-border payment experiences for Nigerians living and working abroad.
Through this partnership, both new and existing Sterling Bank account holders can now access seamless, instant international payment services, making it easier to send money home in real time.
Speaking on the collaboration Daniel Parreira, SVP, Sales Africa at Thunes said,
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“Welcoming Sterling Bank to our Direct Global Network marks another significant milestone in our expansion across Africa, and the trust in our infrastructure across the continent. Together, we’re enabling a new level of convenience, speed, and confidence for customers managing finances across borders. This alliance demonstrates our ongoing dedication to making global money movement instant, transparent and accessible for all.”
Also commenting, Ayodeji Saba, Head, Switch & Remittances at Sterling Bank said,
“This partnership reflects Sterling Bank’s deep commitment to making it easier for Nigerians abroad to send money home. With Thunes’ trusted technology, we’re giving our customers a faster, more reliable, and more affordable way to fund their Sterling Bank accounts from their foreign bank accounts. It’s a major step forward in improving the experience for our diaspora community.”
The collaboration underscores the shared commitment of Thunes and Sterling Bank to advancing financial inclusion and strengthening trusted, real-time payment infrastructure across Africa and beyond. Thunes direct global network connects banks, mobile Wallets and digital assets in 130 countries, reaching billions of endpoints in both fiat and Stablecoins.
For Sterling Bank the partnership is pivotal to its growth and innovation and integrating directly with a global payment network like Thunes, positions it to compete more effectively with standalone remittance providers, retain diaspora customers, and unlock new revenue streams tied to cross-border services. For customers, this means fewer intermediaries, reduced transaction failures, improved FX transparency, and faster access to funds often within seconds rather than days.
Notably, last year September, Sterling Bank’s SEABaas (Sterling Ecosystem and API Banking-as-a-Service) platform recorded a major milestone, processing over two billion transactions within a single year, underscoring the bank’s growing role as a technology-driven financial services provider.
This achievement highlights the scale, resilience, and reliability of Sterling’s digital infrastructure, which powers payments, collections, transfers, and embedded finance solutions for fintechs, merchants, corporates, and developers.
With an estimated 17 million Nigerians in the diaspora, the demand for fast, transparent, and reliable remittance solutions continues to grow. As a result, demand is shifting toward modern, digital remittance solutions that offer instant or near-instant transfers, clear pricing, real-time tracking, and seamless integration with local bank accounts and wallets.
The Thunes–Sterling Bank partnership reflects a growing consensus across the financial services industry. The future of remittances is instant, transparent, and customer-centric.
As diaspora populations grow and digital adoption accelerates, collaborations that combine global infrastructure with strong local banking presence will be key to reshaping cross-border payments, strengthening economic ties, and driving sustainable financial inclusion across Nigeria and the wider African continent.
Looking ahead
Partnerships like the Thunes–Sterling Bank collaboration signal a broader shift in how cross-border payments into Africa will be delivered.
As diaspora remittances remain one of Nigeria’s most stable sources of foreign exchange, financial institutions are increasingly prioritizing real-time, low-cost, and fully digital payment rails over legacy correspondent banking models