Airtel Money Africa, the mobile money division of Airtel Africa plc, has announced an extended partnership with pawaPay, Africa’s largest mobile money payment service provider, to facilitate seamless international remittances across the continent.
The collaboration will enable licensed International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to send funds directly to Airtel Money wallets in seven key markets: Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, and Tanzania.
This expansion builds on a five-year successful domestic partnership and leverages pawaPay’s reliable and scalable infrastructure, which processes over four million transactions daily with a platform uptime of 99.9%.
Airtel Money Africa CEO, Ian Ferrao, said the partnership would accelerate financial inclusion by enabling real-time cross-border payments.
“We are pleased to deepen our collaboration with pawaPay to support international remittances across Africa. Their proven track record and commitment to serving African consumers make them the ideal partner. This integration empowers IMTOs to securely connect with Airtel Money’s extensive customer base of over 161 million wallets, supporting economic growth across the region,” he said.
Echoing this, pawaPay CEO Nikolai Barnwell emphasized the importance of remittances in Africa’s digital economy.
“Our goal is to simplify payments for businesses across Africa. By strengthening our partnership with Airtel Money, we provide IMTOs with a world-class platform for seamless cross-border payments,” Barnwell stated.
Remittances remain a lifeline for millions of African families, fueling entrepreneurship and enhancing financial inclusion.
This partnership ensures secure, instant mobile wallet transfers, a vital step toward advancing Africa’s digital economy.
pawaPay plans to roll out this service to additional Airtel Money markets in the coming months.