What you need to know about M-PESA in Ethiopia

M-PESA, Kenya’s leading mobile money platform, officially launched in Ethiopia on August 16, 2023.

This move came seven months after Safaricom Ethiopia began offering telecommunication services.

By December 2024, M-PESA had already attracted 10.8 million customers.

The platform aims to solve digital payment challenges in Ethiopia, particularly addressing issues related to the bulky Ethiopian Birr currency.

M-PESA’s focus in Ethiopia is to make financial transactions easier and more efficient.

The majority of users access the service through USSD, though there is a growing push to encourage app-based usage.

Future plans include introducing services like Fuliza, which offers short-term loans.