Commercial banks’ answer has been Pesalink, an instant transfer platform that promises to cut out those detours. But eight years after launch, its ability to simplify Kenya’s payments landscape depends less on technology than on politics. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has outlined a National Payments Strategy and consulted on a fast payments system. Kirika says IPSL is in “constant” dialogue with the CBK as it reviews the National Payments System Act and rolls out its consumer protection framework. Whether Pesalink can truly become Kenya’s “digital payments rail” depends on more than plugging systems together.