How Secure Is Chapa? A Deep Dive Into Ethiopia’s Payment Gateway

In Ethiopia’s rapidly growing fintech space, Chapa has positioned itself as a trusted payment gateway for businesses and individuals. But when money is involved, the big question always follows: How secure is it?

Let’s break down Chapa’s security measures and what they mean for you.

1. Regulatory Oversight

Chapa is officially licensed by the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) — meaning it meets baseline financial security, compliance, and operational standards set by the country’s top financial authority.

2. INSA Certification

Security isn’t just about finances — it’s also about cybersecurity.
Chapa is certified by INSA — Ethiopia’s Information Network Security Administration, the country’s official cybersecurity agency. This certification confirms Chapa meets national-level cybersecurity requirements.

3. Encryption & Data Privacy

One of the strongest reassurances for users is that Chapa doesn’t store or hold card information.

• Your card details are never stored on Chapa’s servers.

• They’re sent directly to the card processor and used only during the transaction.

• Chapa’s systems can only request that the service provider send the card info — they can’t save or retrieve it later.

This approach aligns with PCI DSS best practices and minimizes the risk of large-scale data breaches.

4. Fraud Detection & Risk Assessment

Chapa has developed an internal decision-support system for fraud prevention.
Here’s how it works:

• Uses adaptive rules to evaluate each transaction in real time.

• Considers geography, IP address, purchase history, and behavior patterns.

• Blocks payments that fail the required security checks.

This system ensures suspicious activity is stopped before the money moves.

5. Industry-Standard Security Measures

In addition to its own systems, Chapa employs:

• End-to-end encryption for data in transit.

• 3D Secure authentication for card transactions.

• Tokenization to replace sensitive details with secure tokens.

• KYC verification for merchants before onboarding.

6. Trusted Payment Integrations

Chapa is integrated with both global networks like Visa, Mastercard, and JCB, and local platforms like Telebirr and CBE Birr. These networks require strict compliance and add another layer of protection.