Over the years, the service has evolved from a basic money transfer tool into a broad financial ecosystem offering investment, wealth management, and digital payment solutions.
Since its launch, M-PESA has expanded its services to include investment and wealth management platforms such as Ziidi MMF and Ziidi Trader, as well as business payment solutions like Lipa na M-PESA. These innovations have significantly broadened the platform’s role in Kenya’s digital financial landscape.
Reacting to the milestone, Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom, noted that the platform remains committed to empowering individuals across Kenya and the wider African continent with accessible financial tools.
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“To us, every M-PESA transaction tells a story of someone building their future. Our goal is to give Kenyans, and Africa at large, digital financial tools to empower them to be more prosperous,” he said, noting that reaching 40 million monthly active customers in Kenya is a milestone worth celebrating.
He further stressed that the platform remains dedicated to enabling Kenyans to transact securely, grow their savings, and build wealth.
Earlier this year, Safaricom introduced Ziidi Trader, a new investment solution designed to enable more than 35 million M-PESA customers to purchase shares directly from their mobile money accounts and participate in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs).
The service, launched in partnership with Kestrel Capital (EA) Ltd, removes traditional barriers for retail investors, such as complex registration procedures. Through the platform, any M-PESA user can open a trading account directly from their mobile phone and begin trading shares from anywhere.
Beyond its investment offerings, M-PESA has grown into a comprehensive financial platform that enables individuals and businesses to send and receive payments, conduct international money transfers, access affordable credit, and conveniently interact with government services.
The platform processes more than 200 million transactions daily, handling approximately $1.3 billion in value each day. According to Safaricom, the platform connects over 60 million customers, 600,000 agents, 5 million businesses, and 59,000 developers, processing more than 70 million transactions daily, making it one of Africa’s largest fintech ecosystems.
M-PESA’s footprint now extends beyond Kenya to several African markets, including Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Egypt. Across these markets, the platform facilitates more than $300 billion in transactions annually.
Through the M-PESA Super App, businesses and organizations are also able to create digital mini-apps that allow customers to access everyday services directly within the ecosystem. In Kenya alone, the service has over 18.2 million subscribers in a country with more than 55 million people, demonstrating its widespread adoption. Notably, 96 percent of households outside the capital, Nairobi, have at least one M-PESA account.
Before M-PESA’s launch, a large portion of Kenya’s population, particularly in rural areas, lacked access to formal banking services. The mobile money platform has since provided a simple and convenient gateway to financial services, dramatically improving financial inclusion and enabling millions of previously unbanked individuals to participate in the formal financial system.
Notably, the M-PESA ecosystem operates through a structured network involving banks, agents, and sub-agents. Most users interact with the system through sub-agents, where they typically conduct cash deposits and withdrawals.
According to analysis by the World Bank, M-PESA has significantly influenced Kenya’s economy since its launch. The platform has contributed approximately 2 percent to Kenya’s GDP and is currently responsible for about a quarter of the country’s GDP, reflecting its profound impact on economic activity, financial efficiency, and consumer spending.
By providing a faster, safer, and more convenient alternative to traditional money transfer methods, M-PESA has transformed how people in Kenya send and receive money. Urban residents can now easily send funds to family members in rural communities, while the service has also facilitated international remittances and strengthened financial connectivity across the country.