Mobile money platform processing trillions in transaction volume and central to Kenya's digital payments infrastructure and financial inclusion efforts.
… M-Pesa began in a small way, reaching rural communities and transforming digital financial transactions, and today its impact is felt globally,” she said. …
… To remain competitive and efficient, most SMEs in Kenya are now leveraging technology, with most of them embracing mobile payments like M-Pesa to streamline operations and improve cash flow. …
… The court further directed Safaricom to pay ongoing royalties equivalent to 0.5 percent of its gross M-Pesa revenue every financial year beginning on March 31, 2025, for as long as it continues to operate the disputed service or any substantially similar parent-controlled account …
… The judge further directed Safaricom to pay the businessman royalties amounting to 0.5 per cent of M-Pesa revenue for every financial year beginning March 31, 2025, for as long as the service or any similar platform remains in operation. …
… A number of home-grown brands have turned mobile-first sports betting into a mass-market product, riding the wave of M-Pesa adoption and a deep cultural attachment to football. …
… y during a media briefing in Nairobi, on April 30, 2026. [Benard Orwongo, Standard] Kenya has made huge strides in the digital revolution, as evidenced by the use of multiple social media platforms, fintech, edutech, medtech and the country’s flagship mobile money platform M-Pesa …
… Kenya has built a global reputation for financial technology innovation through platforms such as M-PESA, which transformed mobile money transactions and shaped digital finance models in other regions.“M-PESA not only changed how money moves in this country, it has served as a bl …
… The government moved the Older Persons Cash Transfer (OPCT) programme to M-Pesa after physical bank collections exposed elderly recipients to robbery. …
… tors and policymakers, as industry players push for deeper integration with traditional finance.The discussions reflect growing overlap between stablecoin infrastructure and existing payment systems such as mobile money, which dominates retail transactions in Kenya through M-Pesa …
A Mastercard study finds 66% of Kenyan SMEs optimistic about business outlook and 70% expecting revenue growth over the next 12 months, with 95% accepting mobile payments that account for 41% of transaction volume.
A Mastercard study finds 66% of Kenyan SMEs optimistic about business outlook and 70% expecting revenue growth over the next 12 months, with 95% accepting mobile payments that account for 41% of transaction volume.
President William Ruto has called for urgent reforms in global governance systems, warning that the world is undergoing rapid transformation driven by technological advancement and shifting centres of power. Speaking at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland, Ruto stressed that Kenya and Africa are active participants shaping emerging systems of cooperation rather than passive observers.
Kenya and Finland signed three memoranda of understanding on education, digitalisation, and environmental cooperation during President Ruto's state visit to Helsinki. The agreements aim to expand collaboration in technical and vocational training, digital public services, and climate resilience.
Bumpa, Nigeria's business management platform for micro, small, and medium enterprises, is entering the Kenyan market with tools for recording sales, creating online storefronts, customer communication, and M-Pesa payment collection.
Senators have raised concerns that consumers who lose funds through erroneous mobile transfers on platforms like M-Pesa are left to pursue recipients directly with limited support from service providers, despite the transactions occurring on platforms owned and operated by the service providers who earn revenue from them.
A Standard opinion piece links Kenya's recurring second-term school fires to mounting academic pressure on students, suggesting that young people are reaching psychological breaking points under intense expectations from parents, teachers, and officials who prioritize examination results over student wellbeing.
Oscar Livondo was arrested by the DCI's Operation Support Unit after investigators linked him to a SIM-swap scheme that drained Sh450,500 from a woman's M-Pesa account while she was abroad. The victim, who had activated Safaricom's Daima service while in the United States, discovered the fraud only after returning to Kenya in December 2024, finding her account depleted after Sh450,500 was withdrawn in October 2024.
A suspected fraudster has been arrested after allegedly siphoning Ksh.450,500 from a victim's M-Pesa account through an unauthorized SIM swap. According to the DCI, the victim discovered the theft upon returning to Kenya in December 2024, after her SIM had ceased functioning in May 2024.
Technology firms are increasingly targeting Kenya's micro, small and medium enterprises to bring them online, with thousands of businesses still lacking digital presence despite growth in internet access and digital payments. The government plans to launch a digital platform targeting more than 100,000 businesses by 2027 through Posta Kenya and M-Pesa infrastructure.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Mudavadi addressed Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, calling for renewed Global South solidarity and stronger multilateral cooperation, and warning that rising unilateralism and weaponisation of economic tools are straining multilateralism as countries rethink their diplomatic and economic strategies.
Kenya's Finance Bill 2026 proposes a 16% VAT on payment service provider services, a 25% excise duty on mobile phones, and a withholding tax on card payments. The digital payments and cryptocurrency sectors are calling on the government to grant tax exemptions, warning that the levies could hinder industry growth and financial inclusion.
ICPAK and the Kenya Bankers Association are calling for an overhaul of the Finance Bill 2026, specifically opposing proposals to tax money transfers through platforms such as M-Pesa and PayPal, and to introduce withholding tax on bank card transactions like VISA cards.
A KPMG East Africa tax expert has warned that proposed 16 percent VAT on digital payment platform fees in the Finance Bill 2026 could reverse progress in financial inclusion and mobile money adoption by discouraging users from M-Pesa and similar services. The expert argues the government's taxation focus may push Kenyans back toward cash-based transactions and hinder economic growth.
A KPMG tax expert has warned that the proposed Finance Bill 2026 is designed primarily to raise revenue rather than stimulate economic growth or ease living costs, with the government targeting an additional Sh120 billion as part of efforts to increase annual tax collections to Sh2.9 trillion in 2026/27.
At the AI Everything Summit in Nairobi, tech leaders including Gebeya CEO Amadou Daffe called for Kenya to position itself as a continental hub for AI entrepreneurship rather than merely consuming AI tools developed abroad, building on its track record with innovations like M-PESA and fintech growth. Gebeya partnered with VukaOS to integrate AI-powered business ideation tools into its Dala Studio platform.
Presidents William Ruto and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed to translate trade and investment ties into concrete commercial partnerships during a business forum, laying out a roadmap for cooperation in trade, energy, logistics and technology.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja committed to long-term support for AI EVERYTHING KENYA X GITEX KENYA, pledging that Nairobi will become a permanent participant in the global GITEX network, one of the world's largest tech and AI event platforms.
Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy spoke at the platform's Johannesburg event about royalties and the continent's music sector. The company revealed that South African artists generated more than Ksh.3.9 billion in royalties on Spotify in 2025.
First Ladies across Africa have called for governments, technology companies, parents, educators, and communities to work together to protect children in digital spaces and an increasingly AI-driven world, speaking at the Africa Forward Summit's High-Level Side Event on Building Safer Digital Spaces for Children in Africa.
First Ladies from across Africa, led by Kenya's Rachel Ruto at the Africa Forward Summit, have called for collective action to protect children in digital spaces as artificial intelligence and the digital economy expand. The leaders emphasized the need for governments, technology companies, parents, educators, and communities to work together to safeguard children online through a unified African approach combining regulation, education, and innovation.
More than Sh1.2 trillion flowed through small merchant "Till Numbers" in six months, fueling Safaricom's Sh99.7 billion profit. Small traders using M-Pesa till numbers have become a major driver of the company's record-breaking earnings.
First Ladies across Africa, led by Rachel Ruto, called for governments, technology companies, parents, educators, and communities to work together to safeguard children in digital spaces and an increasingly AI-driven world at the Africa Forward Summit.
Small and medium enterprises in Kenya, which contribute between 33% and 40% of the country's GDP, are adopting technology including mobile payments like M-Pesa to improve operations. An IT expert notes Kenya ranks among the top globally for technology and AI uptake, ahead of the US and UK.
Kenya's High Court found that Safaricom infringed the copyright of an M-TIN Mobile Wallet USSD application and ordered the telecommunications company to pay Sh1.4 billion in damages to a businessman, plus ongoing royalties of 0.5 percent of its gross M-Pesa revenue annually from March 31, 2025.
Safaricom has been ordered to pay a businessman Ksh.1.4 billion after the High Court found the company infringed on the MTIN Mobile Wallet USSD application. The court also directed Safaricom to pay royalties of 0.5 per cent of M-Pesa revenue annually from March 31, 2025, for as long as the service remains in operation.
Safaricom has posted a record net profit of Sh99.7 billion for the financial year ending March, maintaining its position as the most profitable company listed on the Kenyan bourse and in the region.
Kenya's iGaming sector, built on mobile-first sports betting and M-Pesa adoption, is shifting toward full-featured casino platforms. Players increasingly expect operators to offer casino games, live dealer rooms, instant withdrawals, and personalised promotions alongside traditional football betting.
According to the Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report, Kenya leads the world in AI tool usage, with 97.5 per cent of internet users aged 16 and above engaging with AI platforms monthly. Kenya's Special Envoy for Technology Philip Thigo said the country should invest in building more data centres to handle its own data, as Africa represents only about one per cent of the world's AI computing capacity.
As Kenya advances its digital economy and moves services online, a cyber security expert warns that businesses and institutions face rising threats including SIM-swap fraud, mobile-first attacks, and API-based exploits targeting mobile money platforms and cloud systems.
Kenya's shift to mobile money for elder welfare payments through the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme has reduced caregiver fraud, but civil society advocates warn it has exposed older Kenyans with low digital literacy to financial exploitation from within families. Low awareness of security features like PINs and alternative voice prompts leaves vulnerable recipients exposed as banking systems migrate to mobile platforms.