- This is the second phase of Merchant Interoperability, that will allow Kenyans to make mobile money payments to an M-PESA Pay Bill Number from any network;
- This follows the first phase of Merchant Interoperability that allowed Kenyans to make mobile money payments to an M-PESA Buy Goods and Services Till from any network;
- The next phase towards complete merchant interoperability will see Kenyans make mobile money payments from M-PESA to the Till and Pay Bill Numbers of the other networks: Airtel Money and T-kash.
Nairobi, 15th July, 2022: Kenya’s mobile network operators: Telkom, Safaricom, and Airtel, have today announced that Kenyans can now make direct mobile money payments to an M-PESA Pay Bill Number from any network. This move follows the telcos’ announcement in April this year, which saw Kenyans being able to make mobile money payments to M-PESA Buy Goods and Services Tills from any network.
The objective of the interoperability of Kenya’s mobile money service platforms is to allow Kenyans to make direct mobile money payments to any M-PESA merchant Pay Bill Number and Merchant Tills, from any network, thereby boosting the adoption and convenience of making cashless payments. The next phase towards complete merchant interoperability will see Kenyans make mobile money payments from M-PESA to the Till and Pay Bill Numbers of the other networks: Airtel Money and T-kash.
This proposition is also in line with the principles of the National Payments Strategy, 2022 – 2025, that was launched by the Central Bank of Kenya in February this year which seeks to achieve a secure, fast, efficient and collaborative payments system that supports financial inclusion and innovations that benefit Kenyans:
- Trust
- Security
- Usefulness
- Choice
- Innovation
Telkom Kenya’s CEO, Mugo KIBATI says:
“From our interactive sessions with our customers we have taken note that Kenyans appreciate mobile money solutions better when they keep on finding more reasons to attach value to their mobile wallets, whether they are sending money, paying for goods and services, saving, borrowing or trading. The announcement made today, on Pay Bill interoperability, brings us closer to realising a cashless economy, further enhancing a seamless digital transactions ecosystem that gives the consumer more convenience and choice. Our customers will first be able to access this exciting addition via USSD *160#.”
Safaricom’s CEO, Peter NDEGWA says:
“Today’s launch of Pay Bill interoperability between M-PESA, Airtel Money and T-Kash, follows that of ‘Send Money’ and Till interoperability. This innovation extends even more convenience to customers and businesses, transforming M-PESA into a one-stop solution to send and receive money and payments from any financial service locally, and our global partners.”
Airtel Kenya’s CEO, Ashish MALHOTRA says:
“We are excited to be part of this change that seeks to provide Kenyans with an affordable, convenient and secure cashless payments platform that will provide more options that empower customers as they go about their day-to-day economic activity. Our customers can access this service via USSD *222# or *334#.”
The telcos made this announcement at the Muguga Green Primary School, where they each made a payment of KSh. 300,000 into the school’s Pay Bill number from their spokesperson’s respective mobile money wallets. The money, KSh. 900,000, will be used by the school to meet some of its operational needs for the second school term of the year.
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About Safaricom
Safaricom is the leading telecommunication company in East Africa. Our purpose is to transform lives by connecting people to people, people to opportunities and people to information. We keep over 42 million customers connected and play a critical role in the society, supporting over one million jobs both directly and indirectly while our total economic value was estimated at KES 362 Billion ($ 3.2 billion) for the 12 months through March 2021.
Listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and with annual revenues of close to KES 298 billion ($2.5 billion) as at March 2022. Safaricom provides connectivity through wide range of technology, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G in aggregate covering over 99% of Kenya’s population.
We run the world’s largest mobile payment system and Africa’s largest Fintech, M-PESA, the world’s first mobile money transfer system. By empowering over 30 million customers to transact, save or borrow money through their mobile phone, M-PESA has driven financial inclusion in Kenya to more than 84% of the adult population from a low of 25% and generated over KES 107.6 Billion ($920 million) in revenue as at FY22.
Our subsidiary, Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia, plans to deploy world class network and services in 2022, to contribute to Ethiopia’s digital transformation.
Safaricom is an equal opportunity employer, actively recruiting staff from different backgrounds reflecting the communities that we serve. We are committed to equal gender representation at all levels. Our target is to achieve 50:50 senior management gender parity by 2025.
As part of our ongoing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we continue to work towards improving energy and resource efficiency in our network and facilities to reduce carbon emissions and our fuel consumption. We remain committed to becoming a Net Zero carbon-emitting company by 2050.
For news, please visit: https://www.safaricom.co.ke/media-center
About Telkom
Telkom is a technology company that provides integrated solutions to individuals, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Government and large corporates in Kenya, drawing from a diverse solutions suite that includes voice, data/connectivity, digital financial services, as well as network services. Powered by its vast fibre optic infrastructure, it is also a major provider of wholesale carrier-to-carrier traffic, within the country and the region.
These services are primarily offered through our Service Delivery Units: Digital (that offers: Data Centre Services, Cloud, Managed Services, Connectivity, Broadband, Carrier-to-Carrier traffic, and Backbone Infrastructure); Consumer (that offers: Data, Voice, VAS, and Content) and Digital Financial Services (through our platform T-kash).
Telkom is also building on strong, consumer-centric ethos and is committed to providing innovative, accessible and refreshingly simple communications solutions that suit customers’ everyday communication needs.
Established as a telecommunications operator in April 1999, Telkom is 60 per cent owned by Helios Investment Partners, with the remaining stake held by Kenyans through the Government of Kenya.
Telkom has 4,152 km of its own terrestrial fibre cabling, serving as a key conduit for broadband connectivity, inland.
Telkom Kenya owns a 22.5% stake in The East African Marine System (TEAMS), a 5,000km undersea fibre optic cable through Fujairah, UAE. Telkom also hosts and operates this cable.
Telkom also owns a 10% stake in the Lower Indian Ocean Network II (LIONII), a 2,700km undersea fibre optic cable through Mauritius. It also owns a stake in the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy) through shareholding in the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC). Eassy is a 10,000km cable from Mtunzini, South Africa to Djibouti. Telkom is also the landing partner for the LIONII, EASSy, the Djibouti Africa Regional Express 1 (DARE 1) a 4,854km cable from Djibouti to Mombasa, and lately, the Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe Cable (The PEACE Cable) a 15,000km cable from Marseilles, France through to Singapore and South Africa.
Please visit www.telkom.co.ke to get to know more about Telkom.
About Airtel Africa
Airtel Africa is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries in Africa, primarily in East Africa and Central and West Africa.
Airtel Africa offers an integrated suite of telecommunications solutions to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally.
The Group aims to continue providing a simple and intuitive customer experience through streamlined customer journeys.
Please visit www.airtelkenya.com to get to know more about Airtel.