Safaricom, Visa To Introduce M-Pesa Card Payments In Kenya, 8 Other African Markets

• M-PESA and Visa announce a second collaboration in under two years, introducing tap-to-pay capabilities using card payments
• Safaricom PLC achieved PCI DSS compliance certificate, which allows the expansion of M-PESA's payment capabilities to include card payments
• Customers across eight countries served by M-PESA are set to benefit from the newly introduced tap-to-pay option

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, leverages more than three years of expertise in financial, business, and technology research, providing insights into both Kenyan and global economic trends.

M-Pesa, which boasts a user base of 32.1 million Kenyans and serves over 60 million customers across eight African markets, is set to introduce tap-to-pay capabilities using card payments.

This move positions M-Pesa to penetrate the cash-reliant retail sector and solidify its position as a leading mobile money platform in the region.

Strategic partnership

M-Pesa and Visa have partnered for the second time in less than two years to bolster their global digital payments foothold, aiming to expand payment capabilities and meet evolving customer needs in the ever-changing landscape.

"In line with our purpose of transforming lives, we are innovating our payment solutions to provide customers and businesses with more options and additional convenience," said M-Pesa in a statement on X.

"Safaricom PLC has achieved PCI DSS compliance, which builds on our strategic partnership with Visa, expanding M-Pesa’s payment capabilities to include card issuing and acquisition," M-Pesa added.

The tap-to-pay solution facilitates efficient merchant transactions while broadening card solutions to other fintechs, creating a comprehensive payment ecosystem serving both businesses and consumers.

Tourists and other markets

Furthermore, M-Pesa will cater to tourists by providing a solution that enables visitors to the eight M-Pesa markets to pair their Visa cards with M-Pesa for seamless payments across almost 1 million businesses on the platform.

Customers across the eight countries where M-Pesa operates will benefit from the tap-to-pay product.

M-Pesa emphasises that fintechs and financial institutions can leverage their card processing capabilities to provide end-to-end mobile and card payment solutions.

Kenyans warned of an app used for M-Pesa fraud

In other news on TUKO.co.ke, a video doing rounds on social media showed how fraudsters change M-Pesa messages via a mobile app to con Kenyans.

The video sparked mixed reactions among Kenyans, some claiming that the application has been there since 2020, and they cautioned M-Pesa agents, merchants and users who often ask for customer messages as proof of the transaction.

"In case someone pays you, and you do not get a notification, it’s better to confirm with us or request your statement or your till statement. If you have personally experienced this, kindly report this to our fraud team by sending an SMS to 333 (free) and our fraud team, and we will investigate this. Sorry for the experience," Safaricom advised users.