Kenya’s Safaricom said on Friday its mobile money platform M-PESA has reached 40 million monthly active customers, marking a major milestone as the service celebrates 19 years since launch and continues to expand its role in the country’s financial ecosystem.
Launched on March 6, 2007 as a simple person-to-person money transfer service, M-PESA has evolved into a comprehensive digital financial platform offering savings, credit, investment and merchant payment services used daily by millions of individuals and businesses.
Today, the platform supports a growing suite of financial products including investment and wealth management tools such as Ziidi MMF and Ziidi Trader, credit services like Fuliza and KCB M-PESA, and business payment solutions such as Lipa na M-PESA, Pochi la Biashara and Global Pay.
“Our goal is to give Kenyans, and Africa at large, digital financial tools to empower them to be more prosperous,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said in a statement. “Reaching 40 million monthly active customers in Kenya is a milestone we celebrate as we recommit to enable every Kenyan to transact safely, grow their savings and build their wealth.”
Over the past year, Safaricom said it has continued investing in technology upgrades, fraud-prevention systems and customer education, measures aimed at improving the security, usability and reliability of M-PESA as digital transactions increase.
The company’s Fintech 2.0 strategy has accelerated M-PESA’s transformation from a payments platform into a broader financial services ecosystem, enabling users to save, borrow, invest and manage money directly from their mobile devices while maintaining strong safeguards for personal data and funds.
By lowering barriers to entry for financial products such as savings and investments, Safaricom says the platform is helping more Kenyans participate in wealth-building opportunities that were previously limited to traditional banking channels.
The growth of M-PESA reflects a wider shift across Africa toward mobile-led financial inclusion, where digital platforms are bridging long-standing gaps in access to formal financial systems.
Since its introduction nearly two decades ago, mobile money has played a central role in expanding financial access in Kenya, enabling millions of people to transact, save and borrow money using basic mobile phones.
Safaricom says it will continue innovating on the platform as it looks to deepen financial wellness and digital access for customers across the country.
“M-PESA remains committed to ensuring that everyone has the confidence and tools to navigate life’s financial journey,” Ndegwa said.
Safaricom, listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, serves more than 60 million customers across Kenya and Ethiopia and reported annual revenues of nearly 388 billion Kenyan shillings for the financial year ending March 2025. M-PESA remains the company’s largest fintech platform and one of the world’s most successful mobile money systems.