Safaricom, Pesapal Roll Out New M-PESA Payment Features

Safaricom and Pesapal are expanding M-PESA payment options at physical merchant outlets in Kenya through new QR code and contactless payment features.

The partnership introduces Dynamic Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay on Pesapal’s point-of-sale (POS) devices, building on Safaricom’s existing M-PESA Scan-to-Pay service. Dynamic Scan-to-Pay allows customers to scan a QR code displayed on a Pesapal POS using their phone. The merchant’s details and payment amount are automatically populated, reducing the need for customers to enter the information manually before completing the transaction.

Tap-to-Pay allows customers with near-field communication (NFC)-enabled smartphones to tap their devices against a Pesapal POS, verify the transaction details and complete the payment. The new options extend M-PESA’s QR and contactless payment capabilities into physical checkout environments, giving merchants another way to accept digital 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. Our partnership with Pesapal is an important part of that journey, bringing together our respective capabilities to shape the next generation of everyday payments,” said James Maitai, Group Chief Technology Officer, Safaricom PLC.

Safaricom is also rolling out AI Pay through My OneApp. The feature allows customers to scan a receipt, including printed or handwritten receipts, with the application. Where the information is recognised, AI Pay can automatically identify and populate the relevant M-PESA Till or PayBill details and payment amount. The feature is intended to reduce manual entry when making payments and lower the possibility of errors when customers enter merchant details.

Pesapal Founder Agosta Liko said the integration would give businesses using its POS infrastructure additional payment options.

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

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

The expansion comes as mobile and contactless payments become increasingly integrated into Kenya’s retail and merchant payment infrastructure, with providers competing to reduce friction at the point of sale.