Safaricom Unveils New M-PESA Features to Make Payments Faster and Easier

Safaricom and Pesapal have rolled out new M-PESA payment features aimed at making transactions faster and easier for businesses and customers across Kenya.

The partnership brings together Safaricom’s M-PESA payment services and Pesapal’s merchant payment infrastructure to expand Scan-to-Pay, Tap-to-Pay and AI Pay services.

The new features are designed to simplify payments at physical points of sale while reducing the need for customers to enter payment details manually.

Dynamic Scan-to-Pay

Under the partnership, customers can use Dynamic Scan-to-Pay by scanning a QR code displayed on a Pesapal point-of-sale (POS) device. The system automatically populates the merchant details and payment amount, allowing customers to verify the information before completing the transaction.

Safaricom Group Chief Technology Officer James Maitai said the partnership reflects the changing way Kenyans shop and make payments.

“As the way Kenyans shop and transact continues to evolve, we are focused on ensuring that M-PESA evolves with them. This means moving beyond simply enabling payments to reimagining the payment experience itself,” Maitai said.

He added that the partnership with Pesapal brings together the two companies’ capabilities to shape the next generation of everyday payments.

Scan-to-Pay is already available at more than 60,000 merchant outlets, with Safaricom targeting 500,000 outlets within the next year.

Also Read:Lipa na M-PESA Pricing: Understanding Transaction Costs, Convenience and Digital Payments

M-PESA Tap-to-Pay Introduced

The partnership also introduces Tap-to-Pay, allowing customers with NFC-enabled smartphones to make payments by tapping their devices on a Pesapal POS.

Customers can then verify the transaction details and complete the payment. Pesapal founder Agosta Liko said the new services would improve the checkout experience for businesses and their customers.

“Tap-to-Pay and Scan-to-Pay on the Pesapal POS represent the biggest leap in Kenya’s checkout experience in years,” Liko said.

“Thousands of businesses trust our platform, and by teaming up with Safaricom, we are delivering the faster, error-free transactions their customers expect. Today, we activate the future of payments,” he added.

Also Read:Six Kenyans Pocket Ksh4.5 Million in Safaricom’s Capture the Good Challenge

Safaricom Adds AI Pay

Safaricom is also introducing AI Pay to the M-PESA payment experience through My OneApp, which has recorded more than seven million downloads.The feature allows customers to scan receipts using their phones.

It can recognise Till or PayBill details and the payment amount from printed or handwritten receipts where the service is available. The feature is intended to reduce the need for customers to manually enter payment information when making transactions.

Safaricom said it will continue expanding its payment solutions as the use of digital payments grows across Kenya. The company will also work with Pesapal to expand the reach of the new payment experiences through Pesapal’s growing network of POS devices.

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Dr. Peter Ndegwa (CBS) CEO Safaricom PLC giving his remarks during the Safaricom Data Minimization Media Immersion held at Michael Joseph Center on March 18 2026. PHOTO/Safaricom