Safaricom Plc CEO Peter Ndegwa has announced plans to introduce new features on its M-PESA platform following a recent upgrade to Fintech 2.0 technology.
In an interview on KTN, the CEO of East Africa’s leading telecommunications company revealed some of the capabilities that will come with the upgraded system.
According to Ndegwa, the new M-PESA platform offers faster speeds, greater capacity, and improved resilience, ensuring the service will no longer require shutdowns for repair or maintenance.
“We’ve launched a major revamped M-PESA platform we are calling Fintech 2.0. M-PESA has been very stable, but now we need to look at platforms of the future. This new platform has more speed, more capacity and is more resilient. You’ll never hear that M-PESA has been shut down for repair or maintenance,” Ndegwa said.
New M-PESA Features After Fintech 2.0 Upgrade
The CEO further noted that the Fintech 2.0 platform incorporates AI capabilities, enabling the company to detect fraud earlier and more effectively protect its customers.
One of the features Safaricom plans to introduce is a “share your wallet” option, allowing users to permit trusted individuals to carry out transactions using their M-PESA account
“The most important thing customers should know is that we’ll now have new features we can introduce. For example, you will be able to share your wallet with your partner and allow them to use it in your absence, or even your son or daughter. That might be controversial,” Ndegwa said.
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Another feature being considered is bill splitting, which will allow groups, such as friends or colleagues, to share expenses directly through M-PESA.
“You go into a restaurant and ask people to split the bill using M-PESA. We also have tap-to-pay capabilities. So new functionalities are coming,” he added.
About Fintech 2.0 Upgrade
The announcement comes a month after Safaricom completed the Fintech 2.0 upgrade, which is built on three key pillars: microservices, cloud enablement, and an AI-driven platform.
According to Safaricom, the upgrade was prompted by rising transaction volumes and a shift in customer behavior.
Also Read: Safaricom Announces Fuliza Upgrade, Warns of Temporary Service Downtime
Safaricom adopted microservices to enhance flexibility, enabling the company to innovate, launch new solutions, and update individual components without disrupting the entire ecosystem.
The move to cloud infrastructure aims to boost transaction speeds, while AI integration will help deliver more personalized services and strengthen fraud detection within the M-PESA core system.
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Kiosks in Kenya that allow M-Pesa transactions PHOTO/Mwakilishi.com