American fintech firm PayServices has dragged the DR Congo to a US federal court over an aborted plan to digitise state banking and payments systems.
Idaho-based PayServices has filed suit in a United States federal court against the DRC and several senior officials, alleging that a flagship $72 million project to modernise the country’s banking and payments infrastructure was deliberately sabotaged.
The company is seeking damages that could run into hundreds of millions of dollars, with some filings citing claims of up to $4 billion.
PayServices says it was contracted in late 2023 to digitise state-linked financial operations, including modernising the Caisse Générale d’Épargne du Congo, rolling out electronic government payments, and building a national digital payments platform to support public salaries, social transfers and merchant transactions.
According to the court filing, the project was meant to “lay the foundation for a cash-light Congolese economy”.
“We deployed technology, staff and capital in good faith to help digitise core state financial systems,” PayServices said in its complaint, adding that it invested more than $72 million while awaiting an agreed $20 million state contribution that was never paid.
The company alleges that after it refused bribe demands from senior officials, the project faced obstruction and eventual collapse.
The Congolese government has strongly denied the claims.
In a statement, the Ministry of Public Enterprises stated that the accusations were “devoid of any legal, budgetary, or accounting basis,” insisting that the documents signed were non-binding memorandum of understanding.
PayServices argues that its African track record demonstrates its capacity to deliver. In court documents, the firm says it has previously worked on digital payments and government finance modernisation projects in markets including Nigeria, Ghana and Rwanda, focusing on electronic collections, interoperable payment rails and public-sector digitisation .
Beyond the courtroom, the dispute carries wider geopolitical implications that risk straining US–DRC relations at a time when Kinshasa is courting Washington for support on security cooperation and strategic mineral supply chains.
“This lawsuit is an embarrassment for the Congolese state and an irritant in relations with the US. It feeds investor concerns around governance and contract certainty,” said a regional political analyst.
As the case moves forward, African fintech players and governments alike will be watching closely, aware that its outcome could shape future cross-border technology partnerships on the continent.
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