Safaricom is targeting over one million tourists who visit Kenya annually through the newly launched M-Pesa app.
According to Safaricom Chief Financial Officer and M-Pesa Africa Managing Director Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, the digitization of M-Pesa function into an app will allow foreigners to pair their credit cards such as Visa and Mastercards to M-Pesa and be able to transact while in the country.
“We have designed the M-Pesa app to offer a modern, fun and intuitive design that maximizes convenience and security. The fresh design eliminates error and enables us to add a host of new features.
“We have added security measures without sacrificing convenience. You can now choose how you wish to unlock the app either through your pin, facial recognition, or your fingerprint,” Sitoyo said.
Speaking during the official launch of the app on Wednesday, Lopokoiyit said Safaricom spends in upwards of Ksh.4 billion in the maintenance of M-Pesa annually.
The new app will allow customers the function to send money to more than one recipient at a go, and can be used while on offline mode.
During the virtual launch, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said the company is introducing a Mini-App functionality, which means businesses will have apps where they can renew licences, manage and pay their bills, interact with suppliers, and much more.
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“The M-Pesa business app will enable and empower them with powerful tools to manage and grow their businesses. Ultimately, our aim is that for every Sh1 a business collects on M-Pesa, they should be able to make an extra Sh5,” Ndegwa said.
A key benefit of using the app is that it allows one to confirm all their transactions before completion, providing you with increased accuracy, ensuring that your transactions reach the intended recipient.
To celebrate Wednesday’s launch, Safaricom will be awarding their customers with 500MB free data for downloading the app, and Sh500 to every 10th customer who downloads the M-Pesa app for the next three days.
“I encourage all our customers to download the new M-Pesa App to unravel a new world of convenience, that will surely transform their lives by connecting them to new opportunities every day,” said Lopokoiyit.
