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Safaricom, Kenya’s leading mobile network operator and provider of M-PESA, and the Western Union Company, a leader in cross-border and cross-currency money movement, have partnered to unlock global money transfers for more than 28mn mobile wallet holders, by leveraging Western Union® global money movement platform

In a global first, M-PESA mobile wallet holders can send money globally to family with the activation of M-PESA Global, powered by Western Union. They can use funds from their wallet to send money for pay-out across Western Union retail Agent network in more than 200 countries and territories or directly via Western Union’s access to billions of accounts.

M-PESA’s national mobile wallet has revolutionised financial inclusion for over a decade by enabling millions of Kenyans to receive money from abroad, store and send money or make payments locally, and leapfrog traditional infrastructure. M-PESA wallet holders already have the option to receive money from around the world via Western Union.

“With the support of Western Union, Safaricom’s electronic M-PESA wallet has been optimised to send and receive money across the world. It is another unique integration of our platforms to scale global connectivity and we commend Safaricom for breaking new boundaries,” said Odilon Almeida, president for Western Union Global Money Transfer.

“We believe this breakthrough collaboration with Safaricom will spur a world of new possibilities for mobile financial service operators to directly scale globally and provide customers with the choice to send or receive money to and from more than 200 countries and territories. It will become a model for opening a world of global connectivity and economic opportunity for emerging as well as developed economies,” said Almeida.

“By opening up M-PESA to the world, we aim to enable a world of opportunity for Kenyans by making it easy and seamless for them to connect with the world,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, chief financial services officer at Safaricom.

“With M-PESA Global, Safaricom customers enjoy the benefits of a globally connected world at the touch of the button, whenever and wherever they want to. The world is at their fingertips, whether they are sending money to a loved one overseas or receiving money from abroad.”

“M-PESA Global reflects the evolution of customer needs in Kenya and Safaricom’s ability to anticipate and meet these needs – from facilitating inbound money transfers, domestic transfers across wallets, to now offering outbound, cross-border money transfers via Western Union,” noted Lopokoiyit.

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