Airtel Africa has confirmed that the planned public listing of its mobile money unit is on schedule for the first half of 2026, as the division records explosive growth in both user numbers and transaction volumes.
In its financial results for the period ended December 31, 2025, the telecommunications group reported that Airtel Money now processes an annualised transaction volume of over $210 billion. The platform’s customer base has surged by 10% to reach 52 million, surpassing a critical scale milestone just ahead of its separation from the main GSM business.
Sunil Tadar, Airtel Africa Group CEO, highlighted the division’s expanding influence on the continent’s financial ecosystem.
“Our push to enhance financial inclusion across the continent continues to gain momentum with our Mobile Money customer base expanding to 52 million, surpassing the 50 million milestone,” Tadar said. “Annualised total processed value of over $210bn in Q3’26 underscores the depth of our merchants, agents, and partner ecosystem.”
The announcement provides clarity for investors who have been waiting for updates on the spin-off. Tadar explicitly confirmed the timeline for the highly anticipated float.
“We remain on track for the listing of Airtel Money in the first half of 2026,” he stated.
The mobile money unit continues to be a primary driver of the group’s profitability. Revenue for the division grew by 29.4% in constant currency, significantly outpacing the voice segment. This growth has been instrumental in lifting the group’s overall EBITDA margin to 49.6%, as the digital platform generates fee income without the heavy infrastructure costs associated with traditional tower networks.
Despite the upcoming separation, Tadar emphasized that the operational strategy relies on closer, not looser, ties between the network and the wallet.
“Digitisation, technology innovation, and embedding AI in our processes will also optimise the customer experience with increased digital offerings and closer integration of GSM and Airtel Money services, allowing us to unlock the strong demand across our markets,” Tadar added.
The strong performance of the mobile money arm contributed to a record-breaking quarter for the wider group, which saw profit after tax more than double to $586 million.
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