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Kenya and Tanzania

Paying out to M-Pesa, and what mobile money really is

M-Pesa launched in Kenya in 2007: money kept with the mobile operator, the phone number as the account, no bank needed. Much of East Africa still pays this way.

Kenya and Tanzania

KES · TZS

Mobile money

How a payment moves

  1. You One API request
  2. M-Pesa Phone number in local format
  3. Recipient Mobile money account
On DVBridge QR payments Live Payouts Live

Paying into it with DVBridge

  • QR payments · Kenya Live
    What you send
    The code payload or a typed till number
    Recipient name
    Not used
    Delivery
    Under 5 minutes
  • Payouts · Tanzania Live
    What you send
    Wallet phone number
    Recipient name
    Required
    Delivery
    Under 5 minutes
  • QR payments · Tanzania Live
    What you send
    The code payload or a typed till number
    Recipient name
    Not used
    Delivery
    Under 5 minutes

Amount limits are configured for your account and returned by the API.

Why this is not an e-wallet

Mixing the two up is a common source of failed integrations. An e-wallet — GCash in the Philippines, OVO in Indonesia, Alipay in China — is an app with its own account, usually funded from a bank or a card, and picked from a directory.

Mobile money has no directory: the operator is worked out from the phone number, the way a network routes a call. You pass a number, not a choice between M-Pesa and Airtel Money.

What you send

A phone number in local format — in Tanzania, ten digits starting with a zero, without a country code. No account number and no institution — just the number and the recipient’s name.

What changes for your product

A recipient without a bank can still be paid, and in these markets that is a substantial share of people. The most common failure is a number never registered for mobile money.

Beyond M-Pesa

Airtel Money and Tigo Pesa are addressed identically, so one phone number field covers them all.

Questions and answers

  • Do I need to choose the operator?

    No. It is determined from the phone number.

  • What number format?

    Local format — in Tanzania, ten digits starting with zero, for example 0712345678.

  • Is a recipient name required?

    Yes. Pass the recipient's name together with the wallet phone number.

  • Does the recipient need a bank account?

    No. That is the point of mobile money.

  • Is this the same as an e-wallet?

    No. An e-wallet is an app with its own account; mobile money is an account held by the telecom operator.

Name the markets. We bring the rails.

Which markets, which products, roughly what volume. We come back with terms, test keys and the documentation.

Name a market partners@dvbridge.com