M-PESA Celebrates 18 Years of Transformative Financial Innovation

Safaricom’s mobile financial service, M-PESA, marks its 18th anniversary, celebrating a legacy of innovation, inclusion, and empowerment across Africa.

Since its launch in March 2007, M-PESA has grown to become a global financial technology giant, currently serving over 70 million customers in more than 170 countries.

The platform has also expanded to accommodate over 55,000 integrations on its Daraja platform, supporting a developer community of more than 100,000 innovators.

With a transaction capacity of 4,000 transactions per second, M-PESA now processes close to 100 million transactions daily, solidifying its position as Africa’s largest fintech solution.

Speaking during the anniversary celebration, Safaricom CEO Dr. Peter Ndegwa lauded the impact M-PESA has had on financial inclusion and economic growth.

“Over nearly two decades, we’ve worked to foster financial inclusion, connect families across distances, and empower millions with life-changing opportunities. Innovation and collaboration have been at the heart of our success, helping us grow into a trusted lifeline for communities in Kenya and seven other countries,” said Dr. Ndegwa.

M-PESA has expanded its footprint to over one million businesses and agents in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Ghana, and Egypt.

As part of its 18th-anniversary celebrations, M-PESA has launched a series of nationwide engagements, bringing together customers, investors, communities, technology partners, employees, regulators, and the media.

Safaricom has reaffirmed its commitment to providing a worry-free, safe, and secure financial ecosystem for its users.

“As we celebrate this incredible milestone, we’re inspired by what lies ahead. Thank you to the #MPESANation for your trust and support throughout this journey,” Dr. Ndegwa added.

According to Esther Waititu, Safaricom’s Chief Financial Services Officer, the company is scaling M-PESA to support additional digital services, accelerate the development of new products, and enhance platform stability and reliability.

“M-PESA remains committed to being your trusted companion—always reliable, always secure, and always innovating for you,” said Waititu.

As M-PESA turns 18, it continues to shape the future of digital finance, driving economic growth and transforming millions of lives across Africa and beyond.