SafariCom and Mastercard have signed a partnership that will improve payment acceptance and cross-border remittance services for over 636,000 M-PESA merchants in Kenya.

The partnership between Safaricom and Mastercard will provide merchants with smoother, safer, and more scalable payment solutions, allowing them to serve their customers in global markets. It will also strengthen remittance services, by effectively simplifying cross-border transactions. According to Amnah Ajmal, Mastercard's Executive Vice President for EMEA, the company welcomes its partnership with Safaricom to build an inclusive digital economy that works for everyone, everywhere. “We are going to enable traders to develop and contribute to the Kenyan economy,” he said. By integrating Mastercard's omnichannel acceptance solutions into the M-PESA merchant space, the partnership makes it possible to develop digital payments across Kenya. Also, from this partnership, Safaricom will improve cross-border money transfers, providing faster and more reliable transfers, while improving its ability to help merchants accept

According to Esther Waititu, Financial Services Director at Safaricom Plc, “This collaboration with Mastercard opens up new opportunities for M-PESA retailers, in line with our mission to provide innovative and customer-centric products. By combining our expertise with Mastercard's global acceptance network, we are enabling businesses to provide more efficient and seamless payment solutions to their customers in Kenya and beyond.” In fact, both partners are committed to fostering innovation and financial inclusion in Kenya's evolving digital landscape.

About Safaricom

SafariCom is the leading telecommunications company in East Africa. It aims to transform people's lives by connecting people to others, people to opportunities, and people to information. Safaricom is listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange with an annual turnover of nearly 264 billion KES (2.9 billion dollars) in March 2021. It provides connectivity through a wide range of technologies, 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G in total, covering over 99% of the Kenyan population

About Mastercard

Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Its mission is to connect and fuel an inclusive digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere, by enabling safe, simple, smart, and accessible transactions.