Safaricom, a leading Kenyan telecommunications company, has partnered with Pesapal, a payments firm, to roll out new checkout options for Kenyan consumers. The partnership combines Safaricom's M-PESA payment services with Pesapal's merchant payment infrastructure, enabling customers to pay merchants by scanning QR codes or tapping NFC-enabled smartphones on point-of-sale terminals. This move aims to provide seamless digital checkout experiences for customers.
The new services, Dynamic Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay, have been added to Pesapal's point-of-sale devices. With Dynamic Scan-to-Pay, customers scan a QR code displayed on a Pesapal POS device, which automatically populates the merchant details and payment amount. This allows customers to verify the transaction before completing the payment. Tap-to-Pay offers another route for customers with NFC-enabled smartphones, who can tap their devices against a Pesapal POS, verify the transaction details, and complete the payment.
According to James Maitai, Safaricom's group chief technology officer, the partnership aims to combine the companies' capabilities to reshape everyday payments. Maitai emphasized that the way Kenyans shop and transact continues to evolve, and Safaricom is focused on ensuring that M-PESA evolves with them. The new services are designed to reduce friction at checkout for businesses using Pesapal's platform.
Agosta Liko, Pesapal's founder, highlighted that Tap-to-Pay and Scan-to-Pay on the Pesapal POS represent a significant leap in Kenya's checkout experience in years. The new services are expected to enhance the payment experience for customers and merchants alike. With over 60,000 merchant outlets already accepting Scan-to-Pay, Safaricom aims to expand the service to 500,000 outlets over the next year.
Safaricom is also enhancing its M-PESA service with an artificial-intelligence feature, AI Pay, which allows users to scan a receipt and automatically identify and populate the relevant Till or PayBill details and payment amount. This feature, available through My OneApp, has been downloaded over 7 million times and is designed to reduce manual entry when making payments.
The rollout of the new services extends Safaricom's push to deepen M-PESA's role in Kenya's payments ecosystem. As of the latest reporting period, M-PESA had 41 million customers and generated over 182.7 billion shillings ($1.4 billion) in revenue in fiscal 2026. Pesapal operates across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Zambia, providing payment and business-management infrastructure to merchants of all sizes.
The partnership between Safaricom and Pesapal is expected to drive financial inclusion and enhance the payment experience for customers and merchants in Kenya. With the expansion of Pesapal's POS footprint and the rollout of Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay services, Safaricom and Pesapal are poised to reshape the payments landscape in Kenya and beyond.
Key points
- Safaricom and Pesapal have launched Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay services, allowing customers to pay merchants by scanning QR codes or tapping NFC-enabled smartphones on POS terminals.
- The partnership aims to combine Safaricom's M-PESA payment services with Pesapal's merchant payment infrastructure, providing seamless digital checkout experiences for customers.
- The new services are expected to enhance the payment experience for customers and merchants, driving financial inclusion and growth in Kenya's payments ecosystem.
