For years, the short chime of a text message after a mobile payment in Kenya has been as routine and reassuring as the beep of a supermarket barcode scanner or the clatter of coins on a shop counter, a simple signal that commerce is complete and trust can proceed without hesitation.
In recent weeks, that once-dependable ritual has been disrupted, with M-PESA payment confirmations arriving unpredictably late or, in some transactions, failing to appear altogether and leaving millions unsure whether their money has moved.
While such delays are not new to M-PESA and have occurred at various points in its long history, the frequency and visibility of the recent disruptions have been unusually pronounced.
What makes this moment different is the context.
Safaricom today is no longer a young mobile operator refining an emerging technology but the dominant force in Kenya’s digital payments landscape, serving tens of millions of users whose expectations have grown alongside global technological progress.
Many customers now view these interruptions as increasingly out of step with the scale, maturity and resources of the company.
Safaricom has publicly said it is upgrading the platform to handle far greater transaction volumes, aiming for 8,000 transactions per second by 2026, and has reassured users that transfers remain secure.
However, reports of delayed confirmations continue to circulate, creating an atmosphere of lingering frustration and prompting merchants, commuters, and diners to express disappointment that such glitches persist in 2025.
It is against this backdrop of heightened expectations and ongoing technical work that Cashia, a Nairobi-based fintech platform, has begun to draw attention as some observers and early adopters cautiously cite it as an emerging alternative in a sector where reliability is paramount.
What is Cashia?
This interest in Cashia is not emerging in a vacuum.
M-PESA has long been the backbone of Kenya’s digital payments economy, processing billions of transactions each year and serving as a critical lifeline for businesses of every size.
The recent delays, while temporary, have been widely reported and discussed, bringing renewed attention to the importance of consistent transaction feedback.
The timing of Cashia’s introduction to a wider audience has therefore naturally drawn attention, not as an endorsement of any single product, but as part of the broader story of Kenya’s evolving financial technology environment.
What Cashia Offers Beyond Payments
Cashia describes itself as a “super app and digital ecosystem aggregator” headquartered in Nairobi.
It offers a combination of services in one platform: mobile money transactions, card payments, e-commerce enablement, digital wallets, remittances and mini-app integrations that allow merchants and consumers to handle multiple financial and operational tasks without switching between different apps.
At its core, Cashia provides a digital wallet, Cashia Wallet, designed for quick and secure money transfers, as well as tools for businesses that may not yet have sophisticated online infrastructure.
Merchants can accept payments, track activity and even access marketplace and logistics integrations without needing a dedicated website.
The company also positions itself as an e-commerce enabler, offering payment gateways and logistics support for marketplaces, alongside open banking and neo-banking capabilities.
According to its published materials, Cashia sees its role not just as a payment processor but as part of a wider network: merchants seeking growth, customers seeking accessible financial services, regulators demanding compliance, and investors seeking credible innovations in fintech.
Licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Cashia operates within the country’s formal financial oversight framework.
This is something that adds a measure of credibility for businesses and customers evaluating new entrants in a sensitive and highly regulated sector.
The appearance of Cashia comes amid an African fintech wave that is reshaping payment habits across the continent.
In Kenya, digital wallets and mobile payments have become an everyday necessity, supporting everything from small street-side purchases to corporate transactions.
When delays in payment confirmations occur, even for a short period, the friction is immediately felt at every level of commerce.
It is in this context that some users have begun sharing their first impressions of the new app.
Early Impressions
“I tried Cashia after a friend mentioned it. The transfers were quick, and I liked that I could see everything in one place. My wallet, payment options, even the tools to connect with delivery services,” said a student who we spoke to in Nairobi.
“For me, it’s about flexibility. Sometimes a single platform going down can interrupt my entire workflow. Trying it made me realize the ecosystem is becoming much bigger than just one provider.”
These statements reflect curiosity and cautious optimism rather than wholesale migration away from existing services.
Industry experts have also pointed out that competition in financial services can drive improvements for everyone, whether by encouraging incumbents like Safaricom to refine their platforms or by pushing newcomers to innovate responsibly.
Cashia’s business materials outline core values such as collaboration, integrity, trust, innovation, excellence, and speed.
The company positions itself as an ethical and environmentally conscious participant in the fintech landscape, aiming to build products that are elegant, functional, and impactful for merchants and partners.
Its messaging frames the platform as part of a larger movement toward inclusive financial technology, where small and micro-businesses can access tools once reserved for larger enterprises.
Another aspect worth noting is Cashia’s emphasis on e-commerce and logistics support.
By offering features that allow businesses without websites to receive payments and manage deliveries, the platform is attempting to serve entrepreneurs who have historically been left out of formal digital economies.
This angle aligns with ongoing efforts in Kenya to increase financial inclusion and digital participation, which remain important national objectives even as larger players work to modernize their infrastructure.
What It Means for Kenya’s Digital Payments Future
The timing of Cashia’s growing profile, coinciding with Safaricom’s acknowledged challenges, has inevitably shaped the narrative.
The company itself has not positioned its product as a direct competitor or replacement for M-PESA but in a market where transaction reliability is paramount, new options are bound to attract attention when a dominant provider experiences disruption.
Industry analysts caution that adoption will depend on long-term performance, security, and user trust.
For many Kenyans, M-PESA remains deeply embedded in daily life and commerce, and temporary disruptions are unlikely to dislodge that loyalty on their own.
But the episode has opened space for discussion about the future of digital payments, innovation, and diversification of financial services in the region.
Cashia’s approach of combining payments, remittances, e-commerce enablement, and a super app experience illustrates one possible path forward.
Whether it becomes a fixture of Kenya’s fintech landscape or simply one of many emerging players will depend on user experiences, regulatory compliance, and its ability to meet the needs of both merchants and customers in a fast-changing digital economy.
What is clear is that Kenyan consumers and businesses are paying attention to new options, particularly at moments when established platforms encounter turbulence.
As digital payments continue to evolve, the arrival of competitors such as Cashia offers a reminder that innovation in fintech does not happen in isolation but within a dynamic environment shaped by user expectations, regulatory frameworks, and technological advancements.
The current moment, with its combination of minor disruption and major infrastructure investment, provides fertile ground for discussion about what the next chapter of Kenya’s mobile money story might look like and which players will shape it.
