M-Pesa takes East Africa by storm

M-Pesa, the mobile-phone wallet has provided new financial options to places where banks and credit cards are scarce and cash has long been king...

26 Jan 2015

(Attribution: , via Wikimedia Commons)

(Attribution: HLundgaard, via Wikimedia Commons)

MIT Technology Review: Can Mobile Money Conquer New Markets?
After great success in East Africa, mobile-phone wallet M-Pesa hit some bumps in South Africa... Miriam Mannak, writing in MIT Technology Review says that since its launch in 2007 by mobile-phone giant Vodafone and local partners, M-Pesa has taken East Africa by storm.
Today, writes Mannak, "more than 18 million users, most in Kenya and Tanzania, use the mobile-phone wallet to transfer billions of dollars a month. The technology has brought new financial options to places where banks and credit cards are scarce and cash has long been king..."

Top stories

Africa's constraints can be beautiful opportunities for growth

Marketing & MediaAfrica's constraints can be beautiful opportunities for growth

eatbigfish 1 day

One of the keynote conversations at Bloomberg's inaugural Africa Business Summit featured Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola (Image supplied)

Marketing & MediaEXCLUSIVE: Bloomberg reflects on the inaugural Africa Business Summit

3 days

New awards highlight top MICE social media performers in Africa

Tourism & TravelNew awards highlight top MICE social media performers in Africa

3 days

Source: abnodey via

AgricultureSA farmers to earn carbon credit income via UPL Corp’s Smart Climate Ag

3 days

Image credit: Screenshot/Bloomberg

Energy & MiningPatrice Motsepe announces Harmony Gold's "huge investment"

Colleen Goko and Nqobile Dludla 2 days

Promoted

TikTok launches exclusive TikTok Insiders programme to accelerate agency growth in South Africa

Marketing & MediaTikTok launches exclusive TikTok Insiders programme to accelerate agency growth in South Africa

TikTok 2 days

More news

Seseko leads national impact with robotics and coding bootcamps reaching over 5,000 learners

Education

Seseko leads national impact with robotics and coding bootcamps reaching over 5,000 learners

Seseko 3 days

#InternationalMensDay: The mentorship void - Why men in tech need safe spaces too

ICT

#InternationalMensDay: The mentorship void - Why men in tech need safe spaces too

Grant Meldrum, BET Software 3 days

Gloot surpasses R200m in revenue within 2 years

Retail

Gloot surpasses R200m in revenue within 2 years

Gloot 17 Nov 2025

The golden years: dotsure.co.za’s guide to senior pet care

Finance

The golden years: dotsure.co.za’s guide to senior pet care

dotsure 17 Nov 2025

Let's do Biz