M-Pesa Tanzania Launches Africa’s First Mobile Money Tap-to-Pay Feature

M-Pesa users in Tanzania can now pay by simply tapping their Android phones at Visa-enabled terminals, no physical card required. Vodacom Tanzania, M-Pesa Africa, and global issuer processor Paymentology have jointly launched what they describe as Africa’s first mobile money Tap-to-Pay feature, now live on the M-Pesa SuperApp.

The feature enables contactless payments at millions of Visa-accepted merchants, both locally and internationally, through a tokenised virtual card embedded directly within the M-Pesa app.

Built on Paymentology’s cloud-first issuing and processing infrastructure, the Tap-to-Pay capability extends the existing M-Pesa Visa Virtual Card to support NFC-based contactless transactions. Users do not need a physical card, authentication and payment happen entirely through their phone, with tokenisation securing each transaction at the issuer level.

Visa provides the global acceptance network and contactless infrastructure, while Paymentology handles secure tokenisation, and Vodacom delivers the feature through its M-Pesa platform.

“Visa offers a robust global network and contactless infrastructure, Paymentology facilitates secure tokenisation at the issuer level, and Vodacom provides extensive reach through its trusted M-Pesa platform,” said Meagan Rabe, Vice President of Merchant Services, Acquiring and Fintech for Sub-Saharan Africa at Visa. “Collectively, this partnership is establishing Tap-to-Pay as a widely adopted payment solution for daily transactions.”

The launch comes as Tanzania’s mobile money ecosystem is in the middle of a significant growth surge. The number of mobile money accounts in the country reached 76.5 million by December 2025, a roughly 21 percent jump from 63.2 million in 2024. That trajectory makes Tanzania a logical next frontier for contactless payment infrastructure.

Epimack Mbeteni, M-Pesa Director at Vodacom, described the launch as the product of sustained cross-industry collaboration. “What began as a simple idea, giving M-Pesa customers the freedom to tap and pay anywhere using just their phones, is now a live reality,” he said. “This reflects our shared commitment to making payments simpler, safer and more accessible for millions of people.”

The Tanzania rollout follows a prior partnership between Paymentology and M-Pesa in Kenya, extending a collaboration the company says spans more than 20 years of supporting payment innovation across African markets. The move signals broader regional ambitions, with the Tanzania launch described as groundwork for further expansion.

Anna Porra, Chief Revenue Officer at Paymentology, said the feature is about more than convenience. “Innovations like Tap-to-Pay accelerate financial inclusion by making everyday transactions simpler and safer for everyone,” she said. “We’re proud to support Vodacom and M-Pesa, alongside Visa, with the issuer-processing capabilities that enable fast, secure and next-generation payments for millions of people.”

For merchants and entrepreneurs in Tanzania, the feature opens up a new customer base comfortable with contactless, mobile-based payments, without requiring additional hardware beyond a standard Visa-enabled terminal. For consumers, it means the ability to pay anywhere Visa is accepted, locally and internationally, through an app already deeply embedded in daily financial life.

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