Ovanti (ASX: OVT) Secures Strategic BNPL Partnership with Shift4 to Enter U.S. Market

Key Highlights:

• Ovanti signs three-year BNPL partnership with Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR)
• Access to 100,000+ U.S. merchants processing over USD $260B annually
• Proprietary AI cash-flow model to reach 150M underserved Americans
• Agreement unlocks access to USD $100M debt facilities, with potential expansion
  
   

Ovanti’s Landmark U.S. Entry Through Shift4

Ovanti Limited (ASX: OVT) has taken a pivotal step in its U.S. expansion strategy by signing a three-year strategic partnership with Shift4 Payments, Inc. (NYSE: FOUR), a leading U.S. payment processor handling over USD $260 billion annually across 200,000 businesses .

The deal grants Ovanti access to over 100,000 merchants in North America, enabling the Australian fintech to roll out its Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services to one of the most lucrative consumer markets globally. This is the company’s first major U.S. partnership and is set to reshape its growth trajectory.

Executive Commentary

Peter Maher, Ovanti’s recently appointed USA BNPL CEO, emphasized the scale of the opportunity:

“We see the enormous opportunity in working closely in collaboration with Shift4 in the North American market to launch BNPL services to their extensive network of over 100,000 merchants. This major partnership allows Ovanti to scale faster in the USA, reach more merchants and consumers, and build a payments ecosystem that delivers affordability and inclusion at scale.”

He also highlighted Ovanti’s innovative settlement model, backed by stablecoin-to-fiat facilities, which reduces costs and accelerates transaction settlement compared to traditional BNPL providers.

Executive Chairman Daler Fayziev called the deal “transformational”:

Source: Ovanti ASX Announcement

A Different Approach to Credit

Unlike incumbents that rely on FICO scores, Ovanti’s BNPL platform leverages real-time income and cash flow analysis, powered by artificial intelligence.

This strategy is designed to reach the 150 million Americans who remain overlooked by conventional credit assessment methods. By using open banking data, Ovanti aims to widen financial access, positioning itself as a challenger to entrenched BNPL players.

Market Implications

With the deal, Ovanti gains:

• Merchant scale: Direct access to a vast U.S. retail base via Shift4.
• Funding support: Ability to tap into up to USD $100 million debt facilities previously announced, with further expansion possible through crypto-linked funding partnerships.
• Competitive edge: Faster settlement and AI-driven decisioning that could resonate strongly with consumers overlooked by FICO-centric providers.
  
   

This positions Ovanti in a high-growth trajectory within the U.S. BNPL market, which analysts estimate could surpass USD $1 trillion in transactions by 2030.

Ovanti’s Broader Business

Beyond BNPL, Ovanti provides fintech and digital commerce software solutions, servicing major banks and telcos in Malaysia and Indonesia. The U.S. BNPL expansion represents its most ambitious international move to date, reflecting the company’s transition from regional fintech player to a global payments innovator .

Outlook

For investors, Ovanti’s latest announcement signals rapid momentum in its U.S. growth push. With a market cap of $55.57 million (as of August 20, 2025), the company’s ability to execute on its BNPL rollout in partnership with Shift4 could be a defining driver of shareholder value in the coming quarters.

As Fayziev noted, further enterprise merchant agreements are already being pursued, while efforts to expand debt facilities beyond USD $100 million are underway. If successful, Ovanti could significantly scale its U.S. footprint and compete head-to-head with entrenched BNPL rivals.

At the time of writing this article, Ovanti shares were up by 62%, trading at A $0.013.