Mobile Finance

Safaricom Ethiopia’s mobile money platform M-Pesa and Awash Bank announced on Monday they have signed a strategic partnership to roll out digital financial products, starting with an overdraft service that allows customers to complete M-Pesa transactions even when their wallet balance is low.

Payments technology company Flutterwave says it has recently secured a Payment Institution (PI) license from the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), positioning it to help businesses in Senegal scale by offering its full range of seamless digital payment services.

Airtel Money Tanzania says it is partnering with the Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCDC) to expand digital financial services to thousands of farmers across the country.

China’s UnionPay International, a leading name in payment solutions, has announced that, starting this year, UnionPay cards issued by Vietnamese banks can be linked with Alipay and WeChat Pay, China's leading mobile payment platforms, through a partnership with UnionPay International.

African mobile money platform Wave Mobile Money says it has raised EUR 117 million (about US$138.2 million) in debt financing to advance what it describes as its mission of making affordable, user-centric financial services accessible to everyone.

South African telco MTN said on Tueday that its API marketplace Chenosis is partnering with TransUnion Africa to launch a solution that uses mobile phone call data records (CDRs) to assess credit scores for people seeking access to financial services.

MTN Uganda announced plans on Wednesday to hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on July 2 to discuss and vote on the proposed spinoff of its mobile money and fintech business, MTN MoMo, from its core telecoms operations.

TerraPay, a global money movement company, has partnered with Wave Mobile Money, a mobile money provider, in what is described as a strategic move to enhance cross-border remittance services in West Africa – and specifically Mali.

Digicel Pacific announced on Wednesday that it has launched a ‘Pacific Transfers’ service for its MyCash mobile wallet that it says enables direct, fast and relatively cheap money transfers via mobile between users in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Operator Ethio Telecom, in partnership with Siinqee Bank, an Ethiopian provider of banking and microfinance services, has launched a new range of mobile financial services and smartphone financing solutions.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa has pledged to elevate the company’s mobile money platform, M-Pesa, into its next phase-emphasising the need for stronger cybersecurity and uninterrupted service.

Yet another financial innovation using mobile telecommunications has been introduced in Africa. This time, it's an investment product from Uganda’s MTN Mobile Money (MTN MoMo), a mobile financial service provider.

Another initiative relevant to MEA mobile finance has been launched. This time global digital payments and commerce platform PayPal has announced a strategic partnership with TerraPay, a global money movement company, to enable real-time fund transfers for PayPal customers across the Middle East and Africa (MEA).

Globe Telecom has moved forward with its acquisition of a 50% stake in AB Capital Securities Inc (ABCSI), aiming to strengthen the stock brokerage capabilities of its fintech unit, Mynt, which operates the widely used GCash mobile wallet.

Vodacom Lesotho has expanded its M-Pesa mobile money service to all users in the country, regardless of which mobile network they subscribe to, in a bid to increase financial inclusion.

Ethio Telecom has announced a meeting with financial giant Mastercard to explore how the two companies can leverage technology to upgrade digital financial services.

Safaricom M-Pesa announced on Monday it is partnering with Ethiopian fintech startup LakiPay Financial Technologies to enhance digital payment services in Ethiopia.

Malaysian telco CelcomDigi announced on Wednesday it has formed an inter-industry partnership with Payments Network Malaysia (a.k.a. PayNet) to strengthen digital security in financial transactions using CelcomDigi’s open network APIs under the GSMA Open Gateway initiative.

Vietnamese telco VNPT announced on Sunday that its digital services unit, VNPT-Media, has signed a partnership deal with Visa to develop advanced digital payment solutions and boost financial inclusion for consumers and SMBs in Vietnam.

The mobile payment group Safaricom M-Pesa, along with another, unnamed financial service provider, has signed a service level agreement (SLA) with the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia to transform healthcare payments through a secure, efficient and scalable digital payment system.

Uganda has been making headlines in the digital commerce world recently thanks to news involving two of its leading operators, Airtel and MTN, and leading payment enablers Network International and Mastercard.

Whale Cloud, a leading technology company providing software solutions and services for telecommunications and multiple industries, and Alipay+, Ant International’s unified wallet gateway service powered by its cross-border mobile payment and digitisation technology, have extended their partnership at MWC 2025.

MTN Group Fintech, described as Africa’s leading mobile financial services provider, has appointed Network International, an enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA), as its partner for Payment Processor – Issuing.

M-Pesa Safaricom said on Thursday it is partnering with Dashen Bank and CashGo to launch a new international remittance service in Ethiopia that enables users to receive money from abroad directly into their M-Pesa mobile wallets.

Chinese handset maker Oppo has reportedly apologised to customers in Thailand after admitting to the telecoms regulator that its devices came with pre-installed loan apps that had not been approved by the Bank of Thailand (BOT).

Financial services platform Mukuru says it has launched a mobile wallet in Zimbabwe called Mukuru Wallet. This follows Mukuru’s award of a Deposit-Taking Microfinance Institution (DTMFI) licence in the country by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has enabled prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) to make unified payments interface (UPI) transactions via third-party mobile applications, a concept that may sound arcane on first glance, but one that could speed up the money transfer process in India.

While it’s been a holiday season in many parts of the world, it’s been a busy week for Safaricom Ethiopia – at least in terms of significant announcements involving M-Pesa services and coverage growth.

PalmPay, the Africa-focused fintech operating Nigeria’s most used mobile wallet, and Jumia, Africa’s e-commerce giant, have announced a strategic partnership to enhance the digital payment ecosystem on the continent, starting with payment integrations and co-marketing efforts in Nigeria.

Smart Communications, the mobile arm of Philippine telco PLDT, is reportedly making moves to relaunch its original mobile money app, Smart Money, in an apparent bid to directly take on rival telco Globe Telecom’s GCash.