Pan-African payments firm PawaPay has obtained a Payment Service Provider (PSP) licence from the Bank of Mozambique, allowing it to serve more than 12 million active mobile-money accounts in the market. The licence, issued through PawaPay’s local subsidiary Quidexplus Mozambique, authorises the company to onboard merchants directly and provide regulated payment services. This development is expected to address a long-standing gap in the market where merchants lacked a reliable, scalable payment infrastructure.
Mozambique’s mobile-money landscape comprises over 12 million accounts spread across three operators – M-Pesa (Vodacom), E-Mola (Movitel) and mKesh (Tmcel). The licence enables PawaPay to begin onboarding merchants within days, with immediate commercial operations. According to Ilídio Matchebe, Mozambique Country Director at PawaPay, the new licence will help bridge the gap in payment infrastructure, providing merchants with a reliable and scalable solution.
PawaPay plans to leverage the licence to expand inbound payment flows into Mozambique by partnering with the three mobile-money operators and international remittance providers. The company processes roughly 7 million transactions daily across sectors such as ride-hailing, remittances, retail and NGOs, having handled over 3.5 billion transactions since its 2020 launch. Its single-API platform connects businesses to mobile-money wallets across Africa, supporting collections, settlement, foreign-exchange and reconciliation.
The Mozambique expansion gives merchants direct onboarding to the country’s three major mobile-money networks and offers international businesses a regulated channel to reach Mozambican consumers. This development is part of PawaPay’s broader strategy to expand its presence across Africa, with Mozambique joining 23 African markets where PawaPay now holds regulated licences.
PawaPay recently secured a Central Bank of Kenya licence, further solidifying its presence in the African market. The company’s platform supports various payment services, including collections, settlement, foreign-exchange, and reconciliation, making it a key player in the region’s payments landscape.
With the new licence, PawaPay is poised to play a significant role in Mozambique’s mobile-money market, providing merchants with a reliable and scalable payment infrastructure. The company’s expansion into Mozambique is expected to drive growth and financial inclusion in the country, while also providing new opportunities for businesses and consumers.
The licence issuance marks a significant milestone for PawaPay, which has been rapidly expanding its presence across Africa. The company’s achievement demonstrates its commitment to providing innovative payment solutions that meet the evolving needs of businesses and consumers in the region.
Key points
- PawaPay obtains Payment Service Provider licence in Mozambique to serve 12 million active mobile-money accounts.
- The licence enables PawaPay to onboard merchants directly and provide regulated payment services in Mozambique.
- Mozambique joins 23 African markets where PawaPay now holds regulated licences.
