Airtel and Telkom customers can now access Safaricom’s pay-bill platform after the seamless transfer of money upgrade through merchants attached to different operators.
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.
Continually focusing on customer experience and choice. Today we launched pay bill interoperability (Airtel & Telkom customers can now pay into M-PESA pay bill numbers) adds to merchant Till interoperability #Mpesa @MPesaAfrica @SafaricomPLC @AIRTEL_KE @TelkomKenya @CBKKenya pic.twitter.com/WHXlFW4eeK
— Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, MBS (@Sitoyo) July 15, 2022
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.
The Central Bank of Kenya notes that full interoperability will facilitate the deepening of the digitalisation of payments, increasing choice, affordability, and customer-centricity of payment services, a key outcome outlined in the National Payments Strategy 2022-2025.
This will bring us closer to attaining the vision of “a secure, fast, efficient, and collaborative payments system that supports financial inclusion and innovations that benefit Kenyans.”
Has Mobile Money Interoperability Progressed Better Inclusion?
