Nineteen years ago today, Safaricom launched a simple person-to-person money transfer service that would permanently alter the global financial landscape. Today, March 6, 2026, the telco giant is celebrating M-PESA’s 19th anniversary with a monumental milestone: reaching 40 million monthly active customers in Kenya alone.
This achievement reflects Safaricom’s relentless push to deepen financial wellness and inclusion across the region. Over nearly two decades, M-PESA has evolved from a basic remittance tool into an expansive financial partner embedded in the daily lives of Kenyans. The ecosystem now encompasses credit services like Fuliza and KCB M-PESA, business solutions such as Lipa na M-PESA, Pochi la Biashara, and Global Pay, alongside a rapidly growing suite of wealth management tools.
Peter Ndegwa, CEO of Safaricom PLC, emphasized the significance of this growth:
“Our goal is to give Kenyans, and Africa at large, digital financial tools to empower them to be more prosperous. Reaching 40 million monthly active customers in Kenya is a milestone we celebrate, as we recommit to enable every Kenyan to transact safely, grow their savings, and build their wealth. To us, every M-PESA transaction tells a story of someone building their future.”
The rise of Fintech 2.0 and the Ziidi MMF boom
A core driver of M-PESA’s recent customer acquisition and engagement has been its pivot to Fintech 2.0, an initiative aimed at transforming how Kenyans save, invest, and manage money directly from their mobile devices. By lowering the barriers to entry for wealth-building opportunities, Safaricom is successfully transitioning its user base from simply transacting to actively investing.
Nowhere is this success more evident than in the explosive growth of Safaricom’s wealth management solutions. Notably, the Ziidi Money Market Fund (MMF) recently reported a staggering jump to 4.3 million customers, a massive leap from the 1.15 million users recorded just a few months ago in September 2025. This crazy uptake highlights a clear appetite among Kenyans for accessible, mobile-first investment options and validates Safaricom’s strategy to democratize wealth creation.
Consistent market dominance and digital inclusion
M-PESA’s journey to 40 million users has been characterized by consistent market dominance and a broader shift toward mobile-led financial inclusion. As we’ve tracked in our analysis of the soaring growth of mobile money in 2024, Safaricom has continuously leveraged its extensive infrastructure to outpace competitors.
This momentum carried through 2025, supported by a broader surge in smartphone adoption and digital growth. By mid-2025, mobile money penetration in Kenya had reached unprecedented levels, cementing the mobile phone as the primary financial hub for the average citizen.
Furthermore, data from the Communications Authority covering market share and SIM penetration from July to September 2025 underscored M-PESA’s ironclad grip on the local market. This sustained trust is heavily backed by the telco’s continuous investments in technology, enhanced fraud-prevention systems, and customer education initiatives over the past year.
Looking ahead, M-PESA’s focus remains firmly on expanding financial wellness and security. “M-PESA remains committed to ensuring that everyone has the confidence and tools to navigate life’s financial journey,” Ndegwa noted.
As digital financial services continue to expand across Africa, bridging the gap between the unbanked and formal financial systems, M-PESA’s 19-year legacy and its 40 million-strong user base position it as the undisputed anchor of the continent’s fintech revolution.
