As of late 2025, Airtel Money has transitioned from being just a backup option to a formidable financial partner for many users in Kenya, evolving its ecosystem to handle everything from government payments to merchant shopping.
Driven by aggressive expansion, technical upgrades, and strategic partnerships, Airtel Money is carving out a significant slice of the market by focusing on one key value proposition: affordability combined with utility.
Recent data from the Communications Authority (CA) and Airtel Africa’s financial reports (H1 2025) paint a picture of steady, tactical growth.
Airtel Money’s market share in Kenya has risen to approximately 10.3 % as of December 2025, up from roughly 2.8% in 2023. While M-Pesa remains dominant, this steady erosion of market share represents a significant shift in consumer behavior.
Across the continent, Airtel Money is now processing an annualized transaction value of nearly $200 billion (approx. KES 25 trillion). In Kenya specifically, transaction volumes are being driven by a surge in smartphone usage, with nearly 50% of customers now accessing the service via the app rather than just USSD.
The network has expanded to over 110,000 active agents across Kenya, ensuring that the last mile” of cash-in/cash-out is covered, even in rural areas.
Airtel Money is evolving to meet our daily needs
The real story, however, isn’t just about subscriber numbers; it’s about how Kenyans are using the service. Airtel Money has aggressively integrated into the daily financial lifestyle of its users.
A critical evolution has been merchant interoperability. In the past, paying for groceries or fuel was difficult if the merchant only had an M-Pesa till, but now, you can pay to any Buy Goods till directly from Airtel Money.
Just this month, Airtel Money partnered with Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) to allow seamless payments to “Till Moja” merchants. This move specifically targets SMEs, allowing business owners to receive funds directly from Airtel wallets.
In an economy where every shilling counts, Airtel has differentiated itself through cost-saving incentives. The ‘Rudishiwa’ campaign has become a cornerstone of their strategy. You can pay for eCitizen services (passports, driving licenses, etc.) via Airtel Money and receive transaction fee refunds. The service offers refunds on transaction fees for essential bills like KPLC (tokens and postpaid) and water bills.
As of mid-2025, they introduced a 50% reimbursement on transaction fees for money moved from banks to the Airtel Money wallet, directly challenging the high costs usually associated with banking integrations.
In November 2025, Airtel Money launched a new cloud-native platform (powered by Comviva’s mobiquity® Pay). While this sounds technical, the benefits for the daily user are tangible:
The new system is designed to eliminate the downtime” frustrations often faced during peak transaction hours (like Friday evenings or month-end). It allows for faster deployment of new features, meaning Airtel can roll out new loan products, savings tools, or partnerships much quicker than before.
The system also allows third-party developers (like fintech startups) to easily plug into Airtel Money, likely leading to a wave of new innovation in 2026.
Airtel Money is no longer just for sending cash to family members on the same network to save fees. With full merchant interoperability, government payment integration, and a modernized tech stack, it has evolved into a comprehensive tool for daily finance. For the Kenyan consumer, this competition is the best possible news, bringing down costs and forcing innovation across the entire sector.
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