Safaricom has officially announced the largest upgrade to M-PESA since 2015, signaling a new era for Africa’s most successful mobile money platform. This latest overhaul, dubbed by industry watchers as “M-PESA Fintech 2.0,” aims to transform how over 60 million users transact, pay, and interact with financial services — not just in Kenya, but across the continent.

According to Safaricom, the upgrade will significantly increase platform capacity from 4,000 to 8,000 transactions per second (TPS) by 2026. This move is meant to meet the skyrocketing demand for cashless payments, e-commerce transactions, and cross-border remittances.

“This is our most ambitious upgrade since we migrated the platform to Kenya in 2015. It’s designed to make M-PESA more secure, resilient, and ready for the next generation of financial innovations,” Safaricom said in a statement.

Since its launch in 2007, M-PESA has evolved from a simple money transfer service into a super-app for financial services. It supports payments, loans, savings, international transfers, and even business APIs. But as mobile commerce and digital lending explode, the platform needs to handle heavier transaction volumes and complex fintech integrations.

This upgrade ensures:

For ordinary Kenyans, this means smoother payments, whether they are buying groceries, paying bills, or sending money across borders. For businesses, the upgrade allows seamless integration with e-commerce platforms, digital services, and international partners.

Tech analysts suggest this move will further solidify M-PESA’s dominance as the leading fintech platform in Africa, giving Safaricom an edge over emerging competitors like Airtel Money and Telkom T-Kash.

Safaricom has cautioned users that there may be brief service interruptions as the upgrade rolls out. Customers are advised to plan ahead for transactions during scheduled maintenance periods, which Safaricom will communicate through its official channels.

This milestone shows how Safaricom continues to invest in financial inclusion and innovation. By doubling M-PESA’s capacity, the company is positioning itself to support Kenya’s growing digital economy, enable faster remittances, and prepare for future services powered by AI, blockchain, and instant credit scoring.

For now, all eyes are on Safaricom as the first phase of this upgrade rolls out — a sign that Kenya remains Africa’s fintech innovation hub.