M-Pesa Expands Payment Capabilities to China Through Partnership With Thunes
M-Pesa Africa, the mobile money joint venture between Safaricom and Vodacom Group, has announced an expanded partnership with global payment infrastructure provider Thunes. This collaboration will enable users in Kenya and Tanzania to make payments seamlessly using their M-Pesa wallets when traveling to China.
In a recent announcement on the social media platform X, M-Pesa Africa stated that customers of Safaricom in Kenya and Vodacom Tanzania will soon be able to use the M-Pesa Super App to scan and pay at Chinese merchants. This new feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, aims to address the challenges faced by M-Pesa customers when transacting in China, where cashless payment systems like AliPay and WeChat Pay dominate.
The expanded partnership with Thunes eliminates the need for foreign exchange conversions, allowing payments to be made directly from M-Pesa accounts. This streamlined process promises unparalleled convenience for travelers by simplifying transactions and enhancing the payment experience abroad.
Safaricom has previously collaborated with AliPay and WeChat Pay to facilitate remittance payments to China, strengthening its international payment capabilities.
Thunes, a Singapore-based payment infrastructure provider, operates a proprietary “Direct Global Network” that connects to over 7 billion mobile wallets and bank accounts worldwide. The platform supports 15 billion cards across 320 different payment methods, including M-Pesa, AliPay, and WeChat Pay. Thunes also enables payments through other mobile money platforms like GCash, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, and Easypaisa.
In October 2024, M-Pesa expanded its global services by extending cross-border mobile money transactions to Ethiopia. This move allows customers in Kenya and Ethiopia to make seamless payments with just an M-Pesa wallet, enhancing regional connectivity.
Additionally, M-Pesa’s services now support transactions in over 190 countries. Earlier this year, Safaricom signed an international money transfer agreement with Onafriq to streamline remittance flows in Ethiopia, further strengthening its position in the global financial ecosystem.
Through these strategic initiatives and partnerships, M-Pesa continues to solidify its role as a leader in mobile money services, providing innovative solutions that enhance financial inclusion and global payment convenience.
