GTBank customers in Nigeria can now use Google Pay for online transactions, eliminating the need to manually enter card details. The service, announced by Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) on October 27, 2026, integrates Google Pay with two of its subsidiaries: GTBank for card issuance and HabariPay for payment processing through its Squad gateway.
The update allows customers to link a GTBank debit card to Google Wallet once, then pay at any online merchant accepting Google Pay—both domestically and abroad. At checkout, users select Google Pay, choose their card, and confirm the transaction. The system replaces actual card numbers with digital tokens, shielding merchants from direct exposure to sensitive payment data.
For businesses using Squad, Google Pay appears as a default option at checkout alongside traditional methods like card payments, bank transfers, and buy-now-pay-later. HabariPay, which operates Squad, states that no additional integration is required for merchants to enable the feature. Those already set up for international payments can now accept Google Pay from customers outside Nigeria, including those in the diaspora.
Segun Agbaje, GTCO’s Group Chief Executive Officer, highlighted the broader impact: “Most failed online payments are not refused; they are abandoned.” He noted that streamlining the checkout process reduces friction for customers, potentially recovering sales lost to cart abandonment. Eduofon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, added that the integration works seamlessly within existing Squad checkouts, requiring no extra steps for merchants.
While Google Pay support has existed in Nigeria since 2023, via payment gateways like Interswitch and Paystack, GTCO’s launch marks the first time a single group controls both the card issuance and the payment processing sides of the transaction. The new setup removes that step entirely.
GTCO did not specify how many GTBank cards are eligible for Google Pay, which card networks are supported, or how widely the feature will roll out among Squad merchants. The announcement also does not address whether other Nigerian banks will adopt the service. The company operates across 11 African countries and the UK but confirmed the launch applies only to Nigeria.
Payment providers in Nigeria are also preparing for a central bank mandate requiring local data storage by 2027. This rule may influence how wallets and gateways handle customer information moving forward, though GTCO did not detail how the Google Pay integration aligns with these requirements.