How do people in Cape Verde pay online?
Cards carry electronic payments. SISP, the interbank company that runs Cape Verde’s payment network, issues and manages the national vinti4 debit card. According to Banco de Cabo Verde data reported by Lusa, transactions at ATMs, payment terminals and services on the vinti4 network rose 20% in 2024 to a record CVE 208 billion, about EUR 1.8 billion. Card purchases at terminals were almost half of national transactions, followed by ATM withdrawals.
The network is national. Lusa counted more than 381,000 vinti4 cardholders, 233 ATMs across all the islands and 14,000 payment terminals in shops, plus services by mobile phone and the internet. SISP’s own site promotes web payments and bill payments on the same network.
International cards matter because of tourism. SISP accepts Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards, and Cape Verdean banks also issue Visa and Mastercard debit, credit and prepaid cards, which SISP says can be used online through e-commerce. Transactions with international cards rose 23% in 2024 to CVE 24 billion, 11% of the total. The first quarter of 2025 set a quarterly record of CVE 8.3 billion, two thirds of it point of sale payments, as hotel guests rose 7.2%.
Seasonal peaks are sharp. Over the Christmas and New Year holidays at the end of 2025, withdrawals, purchases and transfers on the vinti4 network reached CVE 12.6 billion, up 25% on the year before, with transfers growing fastest. Cape Verde aims to replace cash progressively with digital payments, with measures planned to 2030. Google Pay is available for online and in-app payments in Cape Verde.
What rules shape online payments in Cape Verde?
VAT is 15%, and foreign e-commerce has its own regime. According to PwC, Cape Verde’s VAT closely follows the EU system, at a standard rate of 15%. A special e-commerce regime taxes distance sales of goods and services by sellers with no head office, permanent establishment or domicile in Cape Verde when the buyer is based there. It does not apply to consignments above CVE 10,000 or to excise goods, and the taxpayers are the entities the finance ministry lists as large e-commerce operators, based on data from financial institutions.
Bank fees carry stamp duty. PwC lists stamp duty of 3.5% on bank interest and on fees and commissions.
Customer data needs authorisation. According to DLA Piper, the Data Protection Law (Law 133/V/2001, as amended in 2013 and 2021) requires prior registration or authorisation with the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados before processing. Personal data can only go to countries with adequate protection unless the customer consents or the transfer is needed for a contract, and breaches must be reported to the commission within 72 hours.
How would Omno route payments in Cape Verde?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Cape Verde:
- vinti4 card pay-ins would go to a provider connected to SISP’s network, with the card details collected in the hosted checkout.
- Visa, Mastercard and American Express pay-ins can be routed by BIN, with domestic and international cards sent to different providers.
- Cascading would move a card payment to the next provider in the rule if one is unavailable or rejects the request.
Webhooks would carry the final status of each payment, the record a back office should trust before shipping an order, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for vinti4 and international cards together. Residents hold vinti4 cards, while tourists and emigrants bring Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Plan for seasonal peaks. Card volumes jump in the holiday season and in strong tourist quarters, so check provider capacity and routing before them.
Plan for VAT on distance sales. Check whether the e-commerce regime applies to your shipments and whether you are listed as a large e-commerce operator.
Plan for data formalities. Register or get authorisation from the CNPD, and report breaches within 72 hours.