On April 11, 2022, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) and the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) launched a groundbreaking interoperability initiative, allowing seamless money transfer through merchants attached to different operators.
This move aims to boost the adoption and convenience of cashless payments, enabling customers from various mobile money services, including T-Kash, Airtel Money, and M-Pesa, to make direct mobile payments to any business till number.
According to a telecommunications official, "This is the first phase of this regulator-led initiative and it will allow Kenyans to make mobile money payments directly to an M-Pesa till number from any network. Interoperability will offer a faster, more affordable, secure, and convenient alternative to cash payments and also eliminate the hassle of transferring money across networks before making payments."
However, the user's access to Safaricom's pay bill platform was delayed until next year.
The interoperability aims to achieve seamless money transfer to curb the dominance of Safaricom's mobile money service and Lipa na M-Pesa, which handled payments worth KES 970.2 billion in the previous financial year.
Lipa na M-Pesa was launched in June 2013 and has aggressively recruited merchants across the country, making it the dominant mode of mobile money transfer in the country.
Safaricom CEO Peter Ndengwa affirmed the partnership is established on the successful rollout of mobile money interoperability.
