Safaricom Unveils Daraja 3.0, Paving the Way for ‘Fintech 2.0’ with Super App Integration
Safaricom PLC has officially launched Daraja 3.0, a comprehensive overhaul of its M-PESA API platform. The launch marks a pivotal shift in the company’s fintech strategy, moving beyond simple payment processing to a holistic “Fintech 2.0” ecosystem that champions embedded finance and the M-PESA Super App.
The announcement comes as Safaricom commemorates its 25th anniversary, signaling a renewed commitment to the developer community that has been instrumental in M-PESA’s global success.
While previous iterations of the platform -Daraja 1.0 and 2.0 – focused primarily on enabling businesses to seamlessly collect and disburse payments, Daraja 3.0 is designed for the era of the “Super App.”
According to a statement from the company, the revamped platform is built on a modern, cloud-native architecture. This technical leap promises improved reliability, significantly higher uptime, and faster system responsiveness, addressing historical friction points developers faced with older legacy integrations.
Crucially, Daraja 3.0 introduces capabilities that allow third-party developers to build “Mini Apps.” These are lightweight applications that run directly within the M-PESA Super App, granting businesses instant access to Safaricom’s millions of monthly active users without requiring customers to download separate apps. This mirrors the “Super App” model successfully pioneered by platforms like WeChat and AliPay in Asia, which Safaricom has been aggressively pursuing since the initial launch of its Super App in 2021.
Reflecting the growing complexity of cyber threats in the financial sector, Daraja 3.0 places a heavy emphasis on security. The platform features new Security APIs specifically designed for fraud detection, prevention, and identity verification.
Esther Waititu, Chief Financial Services Officer at Safaricom PLC, officiated the launch, highlighting the company’s co-creation approach.
“Daraja 3.0 is a gateway to the next frontier of fintech,” said Waititu. “By empowering developers with secure, scalable, and intuitive tools, we are unlocking new possibilities in digital finance and financial wellness. Developers play a critical role in the M-PESA ecosystem, and as we celebrate 25 years, we look forward to shaping the next era together.”
The upgrade is also a direct response to feedback from Kenya’s vibrant tech community. In the past, developers occasionally cited challenges with documentation and sandbox environments. Daraja 3.0 directly addresses this with AI-powered support and next-generation documentation to ensure frictionless integration journeys.
Among the most anticipated features identified in the rollout are new Internet of Things (IoT) APIs, which enable payments and communication for connected devices. Additionally, the platform introduces a redesigned testing environment, an enhanced sandbox, allowing developers to simulate complex transaction flows with greater accuracy before going live. Underpinning all these changes is a cloud-native foundation, ensuring the platform can scale instantly during high-traffic events, such as Black Friday or major national holidays.
This launch aligns with Safaricom’s broader ambition to transition from a telecommunications operator to Africa’s leading purpose-led technology company by 2030. By opening up the M-PESA ecosystem to deeper integration, Safaricom is betting that the next wave of innovation will come not just from within, but from the thousands of external developers and fintech partners building on top of Daraja 3.0.
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