PayPal has issued a prominent banner on its kenya-facing Mobile Money site warning that all transfers between PayPal and M-PESA via paypal-mobilemoney.com will cease on 16 August 2025. After that date the portal – run in partnership with Thunes since 2018 – will be permanently closed.
The shutdown arrives just weeks after Safaricom rolled out a dedicated PayPal mini-app inside the M-PESA Super App, allowing instant in-app withdrawals and deposits without browser redirects. By steering users to the Super App, Safaricom can keep transactions inside its growing ecosystem while PayPal retires a web experience that has suffered repeated maintenance outages.
What changes for you
- The web portal ends – You will no longer visit paypal-mobilemoney.com to link accounts, check balances or initiate transfers.
- MySafaricom App path retires – The older MySafaricom flow that kicked you to the web portal also stops working.
- All future transfers must start inside the M-PESA App – Safaricom says the PayPal mini-app will be the only supported bridge.
How to keep moving money
If you already linked your wallets through the portal, the connection carries over. Simply update the M-PESA Super App and follow these steps:
- Open the app, tap “Global Services” → “PayPal.”
- Log in with your PayPal credentials.
- Choose Withdraw or Top-Up and enter the amount.
- Review the FX rate and fees, then confirm. Funds typically settle in minutes.
Why PayPal and Safaricom are moving on
Safaricom reports that its Super App has over 4.8 million active users and hosts dozens of mini-apps for banking, travel and government services. Integrating PayPal here:
- Eliminates a separate website to secure and maintain.
- Reduces failed two-factor-authentication SMS issues that plagued the portal.
- Fits Safaricom’s roadmap of turning M-PESA into a “super-platform” for global money movement, loans and investments – highlighted during M-PESA’s 18-year anniversary campaign earlier this year.
What it means for freelancers and online sellers
Kenyan creatives, virtual assistants and e-commerce merchants who depend on PayPal payouts should migrate early to avoid last-minute stress. The new flow is faster, and the FX spread remains identical to the outgoing portal. However, you will need the Super App installed; SIM-tool-kit or USSD options will not support PayPal transfers after 16 August 2025.
Looking ahead
Thunes, the cross-border processor that powered the portal, still underpins the Super App integration, so transaction fees and limits are not expected to change on launch day. Safaricom has hinted that more global wallets will join the mini-app roster, echoing its vision to make M-PESA a single window for remittances, standing orders and even low-cost investments like Ziidi MMF.
For now, the message is clear: download or update the M-PESA App, link PayPal inside it, and test a small transfer well before 16 August. Doing so guarantees business as usual long after the old site goes dark.
Discover more from Techish Kenya
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
