Safaricom, a leading telecommunications company in Kenya, has reported a significant increase in M-PESA transactions for the financial year ended March 2026. According to the company's 2026 Sustainable Business Report, a total of 46.4 billion M-PESA transactions were processed, representing a 25.1 per cent increase from 37.1 billion transactions recorded in the previous financial year. This growth indicates a substantial rise in the adoption and usage of mobile financial services in Kenya.
The total value of M-PESA transactions also saw an increase, rising 8.9 per cent to Ksh41.68 trillion from Ksh38.27 trillion in FY2025. On an average day, the platform handled approximately 127 million transactions, translating to roughly 88,000 transactions per minute. This high volume of transactions demonstrates the critical role M-PESA plays in Kenya's financial ecosystem, facilitating millions of transactions daily.
Safaricom has attributed the growth in transactions to its Fintech 2.0 upgrade, which significantly enhanced the platform's processing capacity. The upgrade raised processing capacity from 4,500 to 6,000 transactions per second, with the ability to scale beyond 12,000 transactions per second. Additionally, the platform reported an impressive availability of 99.999 per cent for the period, ensuring reliable access for users.
The company also reported an expansion in its customer base, with the 30-day active M-PESA user base rising from 35.8 million in FY2025 to 41.7 million in FY2026. Furthermore, the number of businesses accepting M-PESA payments increased from about 1.8 million to 3.13 million, indicating growing merchant adoption of the mobile payment platform.
Safaricom's digital credit products have also recorded substantial growth. Consumer credit customers rose to 17.7 million from 7.9 million, while Fuliza borrowing customers stood at 18.1 million. The company expanded its digital credit offerings using data-driven eligibility and affordability assessments, enhancing access to credit for its users.
Wealth-management services offered by Safaricom saw active customers climb to 2.2 million from 628,244, with assets under management rising to Ksh21.1 billion from Ksh9.8 billion. This growth highlights the increasing interest in wealth management and investment products among M-PESA users.
As part of its efforts to promote financial inclusion, Safaricom has implemented zero-rating for person-to-person transfers of Ksh100 and below, as well as merchant payments of Ksh200 and below, under its M-PESA Kadogo pricing. This initiative aims to encourage more users to engage with the platform, particularly for small transactions.
Key points
- Safaricom processed 46.4 billion M-PESA transactions in FY2026, a 25.1 per cent increase from the previous year.
- The 30-day active M-PESA user base rose to 41.7 million in FY2026 from 35.8 million in FY2025.
- Safaricom's digital credit products saw significant growth, with consumer credit customers rising to 17.7 million from 7.9 million.
