Safaricom is making cross-border mobile money transfers faster, safer and more affordable by extending its M-PESA Global service to Ethiopia, enabling customers to send money conveniently between Kenya and Ethiopia.

Ethiopia and Kenya are neighbouring countries with a long history of interconnectivity, travel and trade. With this latest initiative, Safaricom aims to build on this relationship by empowering individuals and small businesses to easily transfer money between the two countries.

This is expected to further boost trade and provide travellers with a convenient way to access their funds when moving between the two countries.

Customers in Kenya can access the service through the “M-PESA Global” option on the M-PESA Super App or by dialling *334# and selecting option 1 for “Send Money”, then “M-PESA Global”.

Esther Waititu
Chief Financial Services Officer at Safaricom Kenya

“This collaboration resonates with our commitment to deliver innovative financial solutions that cater to the evolving needs of our customers. This is a historic moment connecting Kenya and Ethiopia for the first time ever through mobile money transfers, creating an opportunity for more than 140 million people to easily, affordably and securely send money between the two countries.”

Perfect timing

The extension of this service with M-PESA Kenya comes at the perfect time, says Elsa Muzzolini, Safaricom Ethiopia’s Chief Financial Services Officer. “The revised Ethiopian Forex policy is encouraging the diaspora and business owners to embrace digital payments to send money home and fund their operations in Ethiopia.

“M-PESA Ethiopia customers can now receive safe and affordable transfers from M-PESA Kenya thanks to this partnership, further promoting the region’s adoption of digital payments. We look forward to a successful collaboration,” Elsa adds.

Expanding M-PESA Global to Ethiopia is a significant step towards enhancing financial integration and promoting economic growth in East Africa. The key beneficiaries include Ethiopians living and working in Kenya and Kenyans living and working in Ethiopia.

In addition to Ethiopia, M-PESA customers can also send and receive money to over 190 countries, making it the mobile money proposition of choice catering for both individual and business transactions.

The transformational impact of M-PESA

“Uko na PayBill ama Till?” (Do you have an M-PESA paybill or till number?)

This is an everyday question among most Kenyans, reflecting how deeply embedded M-PESA is in their daily lives.

Officially launched on 6 March 2007, M-PESA is the region’s largest fintech platform, enabling users to send and receive money globally, make payments, take insurance, pay bills, and buy airtime, among many other services.

As a disruptive innovation, the platform continues to evolve. Initially, customers used SIM toolkit services, which evolved to the shortcode (USSD) *334#. With the rise of smartphones, the M-PESA Super App has further simplified the experience, centralising services like till and paybill payments, person-to-person transfers and airtime purchases.

Additionally, the Super App enables Safaricom’s partners, from fast food outlets to transport providers, to showcase their services through their mini apps.

Services such as M-PESA Global are driving financial inclusion in Kenya, having accomplished several milestones since its launch. With 61% of the country’s total population using M-PESA, the platform handles 3 000 transactions per second. When M-PESA was launched, financial inclusion in Kenya was at 23%. As of 2023, financial inclusion had increased to 84%.

For nearly two decades, M-PESA has played a life-changing role in its customers’ lives by providing a convenient and accessible mobile money platform for users, including those in remote and underserved areas.