With the acceleration of digital transformation, the demand for digital financial services is diversifying. Safaricom, a pioneer of mobile money in Africa, is positioning itself to meet these new needs.

Kenyan telecoms company Safaricom announced on Tuesday, February 10, the launch of the “Ziidi Trader” platform, in partnership with the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Integrated with the M-Pesa mobile money application, it allows Kenyans to buy and sell NSE-listed shares directly from their mobile phones.

According to Safaricom, Ziidi Trader simplifies the investment journey by giving users the ability not only to buy and sell stocks, but also to track their portfolios and access market information seamlessly within the application.

“Our partnership with Safaricom helps us bring the stock market closer to the everyday lives of Kenyans. By making NSE transactions accessible via M-Pesa, we are facilitating investment for more people, both locally and abroad, and enabling them to play an active role in Kenya’s economic growth ,” said Frank Mwiti, Managing Director of the NSE.

This initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify M-Pesa’s services beyond money transfers. In January 2025, Safaricom launched Ziidi MMF, a money market fund allowing customers to save and grow their assets with free deposits and withdrawals via their M-Pesa wallet. The company then introduced Ziidi Shariah, an offering compliant with the principles of Islamic finance.

Beyond these investment products, M-Pesa also offers international money transfer, savings, agent-based lending, and insurance services. In September 2025, Safaricom launched a network upgrade to improve performance, increase transaction capacity, and enhance security. The operator states its aim is to meet the growing needs of Africa’s digital economy while preparing for future opportunities.

Over the years, M-Pesa has established itself as Safaricom’s primary growth driver. Launched in 2007, the service generated 161.1 billion Kenyan shillings (approximately US$1.24 billion) during the 2025 fiscal year (April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025), a 15.2% increase over the previous year. It accounted for approximately 44.2% of the 364.28 billion shillings generated by the telecom operator’s services.

For the first half of fiscal year 2026 (April 1 – September 30, 2025), its revenue increased by 14% year-on-year to reach 88.06 billion shillings, representing 45.4% of the company’s service revenue. This growth was driven by a 26.5% increase in transaction volume, which reached 21.87 billion shillings, and a 5% increase in transaction value, to 20.21 trillion shillings. The number of active subscribers rose by 7.5% to 37.92 million.

source: Agence Ecofin