Airtel Africa Plc has reported a 31.0% jump in revenue to $1,853 million for the financial year ended 30 June 2026, with double-digit constant currency growth recorded across every business segment, the pan-African telecoms and fintech group said on Friday.
Mobile services revenue rose 19.1% while mobile money revenue climbed 25.8%, underpinned by a customer base that grew to 189 million, up 11.6% year-on-year. Data customers increased by 15.5% to 87.3 million, with smartphone penetration reaching 51.0%, up 5.2 percentage points on the previous year.
East Africa was among the strongest-performing regions, with revenue up 14.4% in constant currency on the back of a 9.3% rise in the customer base and 5.3% ARPU growth. In reported currency, the region’s revenue grew 21.9% to $607 million, while voice revenue rose 8.0% in constant currency, largely on the back of subscriber growth.
Airtel Money, the group’s mobile financial services arm, continued to expand its footprint, with annualised total processed value exceeding $245 billion, a 51.5% increase driven by a 23.3% rise in the mobile money customer base to 56.5 million.
Chief executive officer Sunil Taldar said the group had opened the new financial year on a strong footing. “We have started this year with another pleasing performance. Our continued focus on the customer experience translated into accelerating customer base growth across all business segments,” he said, adding that the company was “harnessing data and AI to improve service delivery and support a strong, sustainable growth profile.”
Taldar said rising data traffic, up 56.3% over the year, reflected accelerating digital adoption across Airtel Africa’s markets, while Airtel Money’s expanding product suite continued to unlock financial inclusion gains. The group also confirmed London as its preferred listing venue for Airtel Money in 2026, a move it said would open access to a broader international investor base.
On profitability, Airtel Africa posted constant currency EBITDA growth of 24.4%, with reported EBITDA of $928 million, up 36.6%, and a margin of 50.1%. Profit after tax rose to $198 million from $156 million a year earlier, although the figure was dented by an exceptional finance cost of $37 million tied to an in-principle settlement of a commercial dispute at one of the group’s subsidiaries. Basic earnings per share stood at 4.4 cents, up from 3.4 cents.
Taldar cautioned that higher energy costs linked to recent geopolitical developments were expected to weigh on margins in the near term, though the group would continue efforts to offset the impact.
On capital allocation, Airtel Africa’s capital expenditure rose sharply to $389 million from $121 million a year earlier, as the group added more than 920 network sites during the quarter, its highest first-quarter rollout on record, and extended its fibre footprint to 82,100km. Leverage improved to 1.7x from 2.2x, while the board’s share buyback programme had repurchased approximately 10.2 million shares for $46.6 million as of 30 June 2026.
