HPS Switch is entering a new chapter under a new name: SWAM, short for Switch Al Maghrib. But this isn’t just a cosmetic change—it signals a deeper shift in strategy. With its rebranding, the company is positioning itself as a key pillar in Morocco’s digital payments ecosystem, reflecting its evolving role in a fast-changing financial landscape.
Launched in 2016 to enable seamless interoperability across card and mobile payment systems, the infrastructure now known as SWAM operates under the oversight of Morocco’s central bank, Bank Al-Maghrib. The new identity marks its formal integration into the country’s financial market infrastructure, a move that elevates its profile and reinforces its national importance.
More than a name change, this transition represents a deliberate effort to strike the right balance between technological innovation and institutional oversight. Every day, SWAM processes millions of transactions, playing a behind-the-scenes but critical role in ensuring secure, uninterrupted digital flows between banks, payment providers, and other financial entities.
As digital payments grow at breakneck speed, SWAM has been upgrading its systems to keep pace. One of its most significant improvements is a newly deployed “Active-Active” architecture. This setup allows multiple processing centers to operate in tandem, reducing the risk of service disruption and enabling instant switchover in case of technical failure. It’s a major step toward the kind of near-continuous availability the modern payment sector demands.
These infrastructure enhancements are part of a broader national strategy focused on strengthening Morocco’s digital sovereignty and expanding financial inclusion. SWAM sees itself not just as a national asset, but as a future anchor for trusted financial infrastructure across the African continent. With homegrown expertise and governance in line with international standards, the company is setting its sights well beyond Morocco’s borders.
