Small Traders Drive Pochi la Biashara Growth to 2.09 Million Accounts

Small traders across Kenya are increasingly using Safaricom’s Pochi la Biashara service as more businesses shift to digital payments through M-PESA.

According to Safaricom’s FY2026 results, the number of Pochi la Biashara tills grew by 81.5% to 2.09 million, up from 1.15 million recorded in the previous financial year.

Pochi la Biashara is a service that allows small traders to receive business payments separately from personal M-PESA transactions without needing a formal till number.

Growth in M-PESA Usage

The company also recorded strong growth in other M-PESA services during the year.

The number of M-PESA merchants increased by 7% to 3.13 million from 1.83 million, while active Lipa na M-PESA merchants rose by 54.2% to 1.04 million.

At the same time, one-month active M-PESA customers grew by 14.5% to 40.99 million users. The number of chargeable transactions per active customer also increased by 11.5%, showing that more Kenyans are using M-PESA more frequently for daily payments and money transfers.

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Safaricom said the total value of money transacted through M-PESA reached Ksh41.68 trillion during the financial year, compared to Ksh38.27 trillion the previous year. Transaction volumes also rose by 25.1% to 46.41 billion transactions.

The strong performance helped M-PESA revenue grow by 13.4% to KSh182.7 billion, making the platform one of the company’s biggest sources of income.

Safaricom’s overall performance also improved during the financial year. The company posted total revenue of Ksh 427.6 billion, up from Ksh 388.7 billion the previous year. Profit after tax rose by 61%  to Ksh73.7 billion.

The growth was supported by strong performance in M-PESA, mobile data services, home fibre internet and expansion of digital financial services across Kenya and Ethiopia.

More Kenyans Turn to Fuliza

Elsewhere, more Kenyans also turned to Fuliza, Safaricom’s overdraft service, to meet their daily financial needs.

According to Safaricom, the number of Fuliza users more than doubled to 17.7 million customers from 7.9 million recorded the previous year.

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During the period, customers borrowed Ksh1.47 trillion through the service, representing a 49.3% increase from the Ksh 981.6 billion borrowed in the previous financial year.

Despite the rise in borrowing, the average amount borrowed per transaction dropped by 9.7% to Ksh217.9, showing that many customers were taking smaller loans mainly for short-term needs.

The results also showed strong repayment levels among users, with total repayments reaching KSh1.49 trillion, translating to a repayment rate of 101.5%.

Due to increased use of the service, revenue generated from Fuliza rose by 46 percent to Ksh6 billion.

Fuliza is an overdraft facility that allows M-PESA users to complete transactions even when they do not have enough money in their accounts.

The service is offered through a partnership between Safaricom and Kenyan banks, including NCBA Bank, KCB Bank and Sidian Bank.

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Photo of Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa. PHOTO/Safaricom X