NAIROBI: Kenya’s largest telecoms operator, Safaricom, expects to have the ability to finish coronavirus-related value cuts at its M-Pesa enterprise on the finish of the 12 months, its CEO mentioned on Tuesday.
M-Pesa, which is used to ship cash, save, borrow and make funds for items and providers, is without doubt one of the hottest modes of fee in Kenya. On the finish September it had practically 27 million lively customers in a inhabitants of 47 million.
Safaricom, part-owned by South Africa’s Vodacom and Britain’s Vodafone, eliminated all expenses on small peer-to-peer transfers in March to facilitate cashless funds through the COVID-19 pandemic.
The transfer was ordered by the central financial institution, which additionally directed business banks to take away expenses on prospects’ money transfers to cellular wallets till the tip of the 12 months.
“We now have not seen something that claims it must be longer,” Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa informed Reuters.
Safaricom’s core first-half earnings dropped 10.5% 12 months on 12 months, hit by a 14.5% decline in M-Pesa income.
Talks with the central financial institution are ongoing, Ndegwa mentioned, including that the corporate might but minimize costs for some M-Pesa providers after volumes rose considerably through the pandemic.
Safaricom has additionally been specializing in its information enterprise to offset the M-Pesa income drop, providing 60,000 prospects financing to purchase 4G telephones in an effort to spice up utilization.
“Greater than half of our handsets out there are 2G,” Ndegwa mentioned. “Our intention is emigrate a variety of these 2G handset holders into 4G-enabled handsets.”
The corporate goals to extend the proportion of smartphones on its community to 70% over time, from present penetration of lower than 20%.
Additionally it is increasing its 4G community to cowl the entire nation by the tip of this 12 months, from 90% protection final month.
Safaricom, which is bidding in a consortium with Vodafone and Vodacom for one in every of two cell phone operator licences on provide in Ethiopia, will maintain 51% of the brand new operator if its bid is profitable, Ndegwa mentioned.
