How people pay in Kenya in 2026
Kenya is the home of mobile money, and it still runs on it. The Communications Authority counted 54.0 million mobile money subscriptions in June 2026, a penetration rate of 101.3%, and Safaricom held 88.8% of the mobile money market. Airtel Money holds most of the rest. Safaricom's M-PESA processed KSh 41.68 trillion across 46.41 billion transactions in the year to March 2026. Shoppers pay a Till number or a Paybill in shops and online, and merchants of every size accept it.
Banks and cards play a supporting role. Card payments at POS terminals reached KSh 297 billion in 2025, a fraction of mobile money flows. PesaLink, the banks' instant transfer service, moved KSh 1.1 trillion in 2024. Credit is mostly mobile too: Fuliza, M-PESA's overdraft, lent KSh 1.47 trillion in the year to March 2026. The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) announced in October 2024 a Fast Payment System to make all banks and wallets interoperable, with no public launch date yet.
- KSh 41.68 trillion M-PESA transaction value in the year to March 2026 (Safaricom FY26 results)
- 54.0 million mobile money subscriptions in June 2026 (Communications Authority of Kenya)
- KSh 297 billion card payments at POS terminals in 2025 (CBK data via WeeTracker)
- KSh 1.1 trillion moved over PesaLink in 2024 (PesaLink via AllAfrica)
Payment by card in Kenya
Kenya has no domestic card scheme. Banks issue Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards, and both brands share the market. Card use grows slowly: CBK data show 61.7 million card transactions worth KSh 297 billion at POS terminals in 2025, up from KSh 291.9 billion in 2024, on 54,454 terminals at the end of the year. For comparison, mobile money moved about KSh 722 billion a month in 2025, according to the CBK Bank Supervision Annual Report.
Cards matter most in supermarkets, hotels, fuel stations, travel and cross-border e-commerce, where tourists and expatriates pay with foreign cards. Online, many Kenyans who need a card for a foreign subscription use M-PESA GlobalPay, a virtual Visa card funded from the wallet. New acceptance methods blur the line between cards and wallets: in October 2026 Safaricom and Pesapal launched tap-to-pay and scan-to-pay on Pesapal POS terminals. Merchants who route cards locally should understand how card networks work.
Card schemes in Kenya
Visa
International scheme
The most widely issued brand on Kenyan bank debit and credit cards, used at POS terminals, ATMs and online, and the network behind M-PESA GlobalPay virtual cards.
Mastercard
International scheme
The other major brand on Kenyan bank cards, accepted at POS terminals, ATMs and for online and cross-border payments.
Bank debit cards
Debit card
Chip-and-PIN and contactless debit cards linked to bank accounts are the most common cards in Kenya, used at supermarkets, fuel stations and ATMs.
61.7 million card transactions at POS terminals in 2025, up 4.1%, CBK data via WeeTracker
Credit cards
Credit card
Bank credit cards are held mainly by salaried and affluent customers and used for travel, hotels and online purchases, often with installment options from the issuing bank.
54,454 POS terminals in Kenya in December 2025, CBK data via WeeTracker
Payment by cash in Kenya
Cash is still common for small purchases, transport and markets, but in Kenya it constantly moves in and out of mobile money. The CBK Bank Supervision Annual Report counted 473,536 active mobile money agents in 2025, up 24% in a year, and the Communications Authority listed 568,463 registered agents in June 2026. At these kiosks people deposit cash into M-PESA or Airtel Money and withdraw it again. According to the KNBS Economic Survey 2026, agent deposits fell 10.1% to KSh 5.45 trillion in 2025 while withdrawals reached KSh 8.24 trillion, a sign that more money stays digital.
Bank agents add another layer, with Equity, KCB and Co-operative Bank running the largest networks. Online, cash on delivery remains an option on marketplaces, but most riders now ask for M-PESA at the door instead of notes. For merchants, the practical lesson is simple: a cash-preferring customer in Kenya usually pays with M-PESA after topping up at an agent. Our case studies on the move from cash to digital include Kenya's path.
Cash payment methods in Kenya
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Kenyan shilling notes and coins are still used for small purchases, matatu fares and open-air markets, often alongside M-PESA.
Mobile money agent cash-in
Agent network
Agents of Safaricom, Airtel and other providers convert cash into wallet balance and back, so cash users can pay merchants digitally.
473,536 active mobile money agents in 2025, up 24%, CBK Bank Supervision Report via Paybill KE
Bank agents
Agent banking
Shops acting as bank agents take deposits, withdrawals and bill payments on behalf of banks, mainly Equity, KCB and Co-operative Bank.
113.5 million bank agent transactions in 2025, down 20.2%, CBK Bank Supervision Report via Paybill KE
Cash on delivery
Cash on delivery
Offered by some marketplaces and social commerce sellers, though most delivery riders now take an M-PESA payment at the door.
Payment by bank transfer in Kenya
Kenya's main account-to-account rail is PesaLink, the 24/7 instant transfer service run by Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), a subsidiary of the Kenya Bankers Association. It connects more than 80 participants, including banks, SACCOs, telcos and fintechs, and allows transfers up to KSh 999,999. It moved KSh 1.1 trillion across 8.2 million transactions in 2024. Since 2025, M-PESA users can also send up to KSh 500,000 to any bank account through the PesaLink mini app, up from KSh 250,000.
Large payments settle through KEPSS, the CBK's real-time gross settlement system, while salaries and bills still use EFT. Many merchants collect to their bank account through an M-PESA Paybill, which blurs the line between wallets and banks. The CBK published a national QR code standard based on EMVCo in 2023 and announced in October 2024 a Fast Payment System to switch all banks and payment providers centrally; no launch date had been published by October 2026. Our pages on instant payment and account-to-account payments explain the stakes.
Bank transfer methods in Kenya
PesaLink
Instant payment
The banking industry's real-time transfer service, available in bank apps, USSD and the M-PESA PesaLink mini app, for payments up to KSh 999,999.
KSh 1.1 trillion moved in 8.2 million transactions in 2024, AllAfrica
Bank Paybill
Wallet-to-bank collection
Banks publish M-PESA Paybill numbers so customers can pay into a merchant's bank account by entering the account number, a common way to pay rent, school fees and invoices.
KEPSS (RTGS)
Real-time gross settlement
The CBK's Kenya Electronic Payment and Settlement System settles high-value and interbank payments in real time, used for property, B2B and other large transfers.
EFT
Bank transfer
Batch electronic funds transfers through the automated clearing house remain the standard for salaries, supplier payments and recurring bills.
Kenya QR code standard
QR payment
An EMVCo-based standard published by the CBK in 2023 so that banks and payment providers issue interoperable QR codes for merchant payments; rollout is phased.
Payment by installment and BNPL in Kenya
Buy now, pay later in Kenya looks different from the checkout-button model. The biggest pay-later product is Fuliza, an overdraft on M-PESA that lets customers complete a payment when their balance is short. In the year to March 2026 it disbursed KSh 1.47 trillion to 17.7 million customers, up 49%, according to Capital Business. In October 2026 Safaricom extended it to small merchants with Fuliza ya Pochi. Devices are the second pillar: M-KOPA has served 4.8 million Kenyans with pay-as-you-go phones and solar systems, repaid in small daily M-PESA amounts, and passed 10 million customers across five African markets in July 2026.
Safaricom and Airtel also sell smartphones on daily and weekly installment plans, and banks offer card installments for large purchases. Digital lenders keep multiplying, with 195 licensed digital credit providers in December 2025. The best-known checkout BNPL, Lipa Later, entered administration in March 2025 after failing to raise new funds, and buyers were still being sought in late 2025, so merchants rely mostly on wallet-based credit.
Installment and BNPL providers in Kenya
Fuliza M-PESA
Wallet overdraft
An overdraft facility on M-PESA, offered with NCBA and KCB, that covers a payment when the wallet balance is too low, repaid automatically from incoming funds. Since October 2026, Fuliza ya Pochi extends it to Pochi la Biashara merchants.
KSh 1.47 trillion disbursed to 17.7 million customers in the year to March 2026, Capital Business
M-KOPA
Pay-as-you-go financing
Finances smartphones, solar systems and electric motorbikes with small daily or weekly M-PESA repayments, and assembles phones in Nairobi.
4.8 million Kenyans served and over $1.6 billion in credit disbursed by November 2025, AllAfrica
Safaricom and Airtel phone plans
Device installments
Both operators sell smartphones with a deposit and daily or weekly repayments, for example KSh 60 a day, reaching buyers without a bank account.
Bank card installments
Card installments
Kenyan banks let cardholders split large purchases over 3, 6 or 12 months; Absa Kenya markets its plan as Buy Now Lipa Pole Pole, according to The Kenya Times.
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Kenya
In Kenya, X-Pay means M-PESA first. Shoppers pay a Till number (Buy Goods) or a Paybill, or confirm an STK push on their phone at an online checkout. Safaricom counted 1.0 million Lipa na M-PESA merchants, 2.1 million Pochi merchants and 40.99 million one-month active M-PESA customers at the end of March 2026. In October 2026 its Scan-to-Pay QR service was live in about 60,000 outlets, with a target of 500,000.
Airtel Money is the only real challenger, with an 11.1% share of mobile money subscriptions in June 2026, up from 9.1% a year earlier, according to Communications Authority data reported by TechTrendsKE. Telkom's T-Kash rounds to zero. Equity Bank's Equitel adds a bank-backed SIM wallet. Card-based wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay play a minor role, and M-PESA GlobalPay gives wallet users a virtual Visa card for foreign sites.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Kenya
M-PESA
Mobile money
Safaricom's wallet, with 40.99 million one-month active customers in March 2026, used by most adults for transfers, bills, merchant payments, savings and credit, and the default payment method in Kenyan e-commerce.
KSh 41.68 trillion M-PESA transaction value in the year to March 2026, up 8.9%, Safaricom FY26 results
Lipa na M-PESA
Merchant wallet payment
M-PESA's merchant service, with Till numbers for shops, Paybill numbers for billers and STK push for online checkouts.
1.0 million Lipa na M-PESA merchants in the year to March 2026, up 54.2%, Safaricom FY26 results
Pochi la Biashara
Small business wallet
A business pocket inside a personal M-PESA account, used by hawkers, small shops and service providers to accept payments without a Till.
2.1 million Pochi merchants at the end of March 2026, up 81.5%, Safaricom FY26 results
Airtel Money
Mobile money
Airtel Kenya's wallet for transfers, bill payments and merchant payments, the second largest mobile money service in the country.
11.1% share of mobile money subscriptions in June 2026, CA data via TechTrendsKE
M-PESA GlobalPay
Virtual card
A virtual Visa card linked to the M-PESA wallet, launched with Visa in 2022, used to pay foreign websites and subscriptions that require a card.
Equitel
Bank SIM wallet
Equity Bank's mobile service, run by Finserve Africa, which lets customers pay merchants and send money directly from their bank account on a SIM.
Payments in Kenya: FAQ
What is the most popular payment method in Kenya?
M-PESA. Safaricom held 88.8% of the mobile money market in June 2026, and M-PESA processed KSh 41.68 trillion in the year to March 2026. Shoppers pay a Till or Paybill number in stores and confirm an STK push online.
Do people use cards in Kenya?
Yes, but far less than mobile money. Card payments at POS terminals reached KSh 297 billion in 2025 on about 54,000 terminals, mostly Visa and Mastercard. Cards matter for supermarkets, travel, tourism and cross-border e-commerce.
What is PesaLink?
PesaLink is Kenya's instant interbank transfer service, run by IPSL for the Kenya Bankers Association. It has more than 80 participants and moved KSh 1.1 trillion in 2024. M-PESA users can send up to KSh 500,000 to bank accounts through it.
Is there BNPL in Kenya?
Mostly as wallet credit and device financing. Fuliza lent KSh 1.47 trillion to 17.7 million customers in the year to March 2026, and M-KOPA finances phones paid off daily. Lipa Later, the main checkout BNPL, entered administration in March 2025.
Accept local payments in Kenya with NORBr
In Kenya, merchants use a Safaricom Till or Paybill, or a gateway among the 43 CBK-authorized providers, such as Pesapal. A PSP, PayFac, ISO or ISV should check M-PESA STK push, Airtel Money, PesaLink and Paybill reconciliation.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers M-PESA and Lipa na M-PESA tills, Airtel Money, PesaLink and cards. Some are already in our connector catalog; Mapper™ gets the others live in days, and Smart Checkout shows each shopper the right methods. Explore the other #PayWorldTour guides.
Local payment providers in Kenya
Pesapal
Payment gateway
A Nairobi-based gateway and POS provider for businesses in East Africa; in October 2026 it launched tap-to-pay and scan-to-pay with Safaricom on its POS terminals.
Covers: M-PESA, Airtel Money, Visa, Mastercard, POS terminals, QR
Cellulant (Tingg)
Aggregator
A Nairobi-founded payments company whose Tingg platform connects merchants to mobile money, bank and card rails across Africa; Cellulant Kenya Limited is a CBK-authorized PSP.
Covers: M-PESA, Airtel Money, cards, bank transfers, PesaLink
iPay Africa
Payment gateway
A Kenyan gateway operated by Fivespot Kenya Limited, authorized by the CBK for mobile money and merchant payment processing, used by e-commerce sites and billers.
Covers: M-PESA, Airtel Money, Equity, PesaLink, Visa, Mastercard
DPO Pay
Payment gateway
An online and in-store gateway owned by Network International, authorized in Kenya through Direct Pay Limited and used by travel, hospitality and e-commerce merchants.
Covers: Visa, Mastercard, M-PESA, Airtel Money
Finserve Africa (Jenga)
Payment gateway
Equity Group's technology arm runs the Jenga payment gateway and APIs and the Equitel mobile service, both authorized by the CBK.
Covers: Equity bank accounts, Equitel, M-PESA, Airtel Money, Visa, Mastercard, PesaLink
