Standards/national-switch
National Switch
Overview
Note on classification. This entry was originally bucketed as a QR standard, but National Switch is not a QR-symbol standard. It is reclassified as
Interbank rail— a comoros interbank rail (paylogic, mvola). The wiki shows no playground because there is no QR payload to encode; the slug is retained to avoid breaking incoming links.
National Switch (Comoros) refers to the Comoros National Interoperable Payment Switch + Komor Switch + Komor Pay (Ats) infrastructure — Comoros's modern payment-system stack going live in April 2026 1, 2, Comoros report. The system establishes a unified payment infrastructure that connects commercial banks, microfinance institutions, and mobile money operators across the Union of Comoros. The go-live is part of the Financial Sector Development Support Project (PADSF), supported by the World Bank, representing a cornerstone of Comoros's strategy to reduce reliance on cash, modernize its financial sector, and expand access to digital services.
The structural significance: Comoros is one of the world's smallest island nations + previously had limited interbank payment infrastructure. The dual-system architecture (Komor Switch for cards + Komor Pay/Ats for interbank) provides comprehensive modernisation:
- Komor Switch — central platform for card payments at terminals + interconnection + transaction processing between banks (rapid, secure, reliable).
- Komor Pay (Ats) — interbank system reserved exclusively for banks, operational since April 23, 2026, enabling secure processing, clearing, and settlement in central bank currency — reduces processing time for checks and transfers from 3 days to 1 business day via 120 km fiber-optic network.
PayLogic is the technology partner (also building Equatorial Guinea BANGE digital payments + Sao Tome GTI Switch), illustrating PayLogic's specialisation in small-African-nation payment-modernisation projects. The Banque Centrale des Comores (BCC) oversees the national payment system, also operating SYCOCO (Système de Compensation Comorien — primary interbank-clearing for checks + paper instruments).
History
Background — Comoros payment landscape Comoros report:
- Banque Centrale des Comores (BCC) — central bank.
- Pre-modernisation: SYCOCO check-and-paper-instrument clearing.
- 3-day check-and-transfer processing.
- Limited interbank-payment infrastructure.
Financial Sector Development Support Project (PADSF) launch 1:
- World Bank-supported.
Comoros government tender for interbank-payment switch acquisition [tender-km]:
- PADSF procurement.
PayLogic selection as technology partner 1:
- Multi-African-nation payment-system specialist.
Komor Switch go-live 1:
- Card-payment-platform interconnection.
April 23, 2026 — Komor Pay (Ats) operational 2:
- Interbank-payment system.
- 3-day → 1-business-day check/transfer processing.
- 120 km fiber-optic network.
Technical specification
National Switch (Comoros) is BCC + World Bank + PayLogic-coordinated Comoros payment-modernisation stack 1, 2:
| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Banque Centrale des Comores (BCC) |
| Funder | World Bank (PADSF — Financial Sector Development Support Project) |
| Technology partner | PayLogic |
| Country | Union of Comoros |
| Currency | KMF (Comorian franc) |
| Komor Switch | Card-payment interconnection platform |
| Komor Pay (Ats) | Interbank system, operational April 23, 2026 |
| Network | 120 km fiber-optic |
| Settlement speed | 3-day → 1-business-day |
| Participants | Commercial banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators |
SYCOCO [wb-km]:
- Comoros's primary interbank-clearing for checks + paper instruments.
Use cases
Card-payment interconnection (Komor Switch) 1: Cardinal — multi-bank card-acceptance.
Interbank check + transfer settlement (Komor Pay/Ats) 2: 3-day → 1-day acceleration.
Microfinance institution participation 1: Financial inclusion expansion.
Mobile money operator integration 1: Multi-channel coverage.
Cash-reduction objective 1: PADSF goal.
Modern digital-services expansion 1: PADSF goal.
Implementations & ecosystem
Sponsor: Banque Centrale des Comores (BCC).
Funder: World Bank (PADSF).
Technology partner: PayLogic (also Sao Tome GTI Switch + Equatorial Guinea BANGE).
Participating institutions: Comorian commercial banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators.
Companion: SYCOCO check + paper-instrument clearing.
Fun facts
- 120 km fiber-optic network: Comoros-island-archipelago-spanning infrastructure.
- 3-day → 1-business-day processing acceleration: Major modernisation.
- April 23, 2026 Komor Pay (Ats) go-live: Recent.
- World Bank PADSF support: Multi-million-dollar modernisation backing.
- PayLogic specialisation: Small-African-nation payment-system specialist.
- Dual-system architecture (Komor Switch + Komor Pay/Ats): Comprehensive design.
- Unified bank + microfinance + mobile-money operator participation: Inclusive financial-system design.
- Banque Centrale des Comores sponsorship: Central-bank-driven modernisation.
Comparison
| Feature | National Switch (KM) | GTI Switch (ST PayLogic) | BANGE Digital (GQ PayLogic) | gh-link (GH) | NIBSS NIP (NG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor | BCC | Banco Central de São Tomé e Príncipe | BANGE (commercial) | BoG | CBN |
| Type | National-switch dual-system (Komor Switch + Komor Pay/Ats) | National switch | Digital card + payment | National switch | National switch |
| Tech partner | PayLogic | PayLogic | PayLogic | n/a | n/a |
| Funder | World Bank PADSF | Local | Commercial | Local | Local |
| Network | 120 km fiber-optic | Local | National | National | National |
Status
Active, recently launched 1, 2:
- Komor Switch operational.
- Komor Pay (Ats) operational April 23, 2026.
- 3-day → 1-day check/transfer processing.
- BCC + World Bank + PayLogic coordination.
- Banks + microfinance + mobile money operators integrated.
Sources
- 1 Comoros National Switch — PayLogic
- 2 Comoros new payment systems — Mayotte Hebdo
- wb-km Comoros Payment Systems Regulatory Framework — World Bank
- tender-km Comoros switch tender — TendersOnTime
- Comoros report
reports/countries/KM-comoros.md
Deployments
No country reports mention this standard by name.