NAIROBI, Kenya- Safaricom just hit a major milestone in its partnership with digital payments giant Visa, earning the coveted Payment Facilitator Certificate.
This new status marks a significant step in the ongoing collaboration between the two companies, as they continue to revolutionize payment solutions in Kenya.
With Visa’s technology, Safaricom is set to expand its merchant ecosystem by offering card payment options that support multiple networks, thanks to Visa’s CyberSource payment gateway.
Safaricom merchants can now tap into Visa’s CyberSource gateway to offer a wider range of payment options.
This new feature promises to make transactions more flexible and secure, especially for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
For merchants, this means being able to accept card payments—both online and in-person—with greater ease and reliability.
“We’re thrilled to award Safaricom the Payment Facilitator Certificate,” said Chad Pollock, General Manager and Vice President of Visa East Africa.
“This move underscores our commitment to driving merchant growth and efficiency while offering cutting-edge payment solutions.” The certificate is part of a broader multi-year collaboration between the two companies that started with the successful launch of the M-PESA GlobalPay Visa Virtual Card in 2022.
Safaricom has now opened doors to more than 600,000 merchants, giving them direct access to a world of digital consumers.
The partnership took off last year with the launch of the M-PESA GlobalPay Visa Virtual Card, which allowed M-PESA users to make global payments seamlessly.
Now, the introduction of card payments is another leap toward making payments more convenient and inclusive for both merchants and consumers.
Esther Waititu, Safaricom’s Chief Financial Services Officer, said, “The launch of card payments through Visa’s CyberSource gateway is a testament to our shared vision of providing merchants with diverse and secure payment options.”
For Kenya’s small and medium businesses, this collaboration couldn’t come at a better time. Access to secure and reliable payment processing helps MSMEs scale faster and serve their customers better.
