Airtel Money has signed a deal with the digital payment network Pesalink, allowing the telco’s customers to transfer funds directly from their mobile wallets to bank, Sacco, and microfinance accounts.
Under the partnership with Pesalink’s operator, Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), Airtel Money users can send money to accounts held by 30 banks, Saccos and microfinance institutions connected to the payment platform.
Pesalink is the country’s national interbank payment system, and the move expands Airtel Money’s links with Kenya’s financial institutions.
The mobile money service seeks to tap into Pesalink’s payment infrastructure without negotiating separate integration agreements with each lender.
“The Pesalink rails enable Airtel Money to connect with participating banks, SACCOs and microfinance banks without the need for separate bilateral integrations and agreements with each institution,” the two companies said in a joint statement.
Customers will access the service through the MyAirtel app by selecting the Pay Bill option, choosing a recipient institution, entering the account number and amount, and completing the transaction.
It is also available through the USSD code *334#.
The deal comes as payment providers expand connections between mobile money and banking services.
Airtel Money told the Business Daily that mobile-to-bank transfers will be limited to Sh250,000 per transaction and Sh500,000 daily, similar to mobile wallet-to-wallet transfers.
Airtel Money will not charge for Paybill and wallet-to-bank transactions below Sh100. Transfers of between Sh101 and Sh500 attract a Sh5 fee, with the charges rising to Sh108 for transactions between Sh45,001 and Sh250,000.
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“The integration builds on the various partnerships we have established with banks, retail outlets, service providers, and digital payment platforms as part of our broader strategy to strengthen Kenya’s digital payments ecosystem,” said Airtel Money Kenya’s acting managing director Michael Bonke.
The integration includes an account verification feature that enables customers to confirm the recipient’s bank and account details before authorising a transfer, similar to wallet-to-wallet and bank-to-bank transfers.
Airtel Money plans to expand the deal beyond wallet-to-bank transfers to introduce cash deposits and withdrawals through Airtel Money agents, as well as person-to-merchant payments.
Airtel Money increased its share of Kenya’s mobile money market to 11.1 percent in the three months to June, from 10.9 percent in March, according to Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) data.
Safaricom’s M-Pesa dominates the market with an 88.8 percent share at the end of June, down from 89.1 percent in March.
Airtel Africa does not disclose its performance data for specific markets like Kenya.
For the year ended March 2026, the firm said mobile money revenues from its East Africa operations, which cover Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi, rose to $1 billion (Sh129 billion) from $747 million (Sh96.7 billion).
Pesalink was established in 2015 under the National Payment System (NPS) Act to simplify account-to-account transfers.
It is operated by IPSL, owned by the Kenya Bankers Association. IPSL says the network has connected more than 190 institutions.
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