Airtel Money and pawaPay Strengthen Remittance Partnership Across Seven African Markets
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Airtel Money and pawaPay Strengthen Remittance Partnership Across Seven African Markets |
Airtel Money Africa has expanded its strategic collaboration with pawaPay to enhance cross-border payment capabilities for licensed International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs). This strengthened partnership will enable seamless international remittances across seven African countries, tapping into the region’s fast-growing remittance flows.
Under the new agreement, pawaPay’s inbound remittance services will now be available directly through Airtel Money wallets in Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, and Tanzania. With this expansion, over 161 million Airtel Money customers will be able to receive global payments instantly into their mobile wallets, supported by pawaPay’s robust infrastructure, which processes over four million transactions daily with a 99.9% uptime.
This partnership builds on the companies’ five-year collaboration in domestic mobile money services, now extending to international transfers. The integration will connect pawaPay’s backend infrastructure with Airtel Money Africa’s systems, ensuring faster, more secure, and streamlined operations for IMTOs.
According to Airtel Money Africa CEO, Ian Ferrao, “Expanding our partnership with pawaPay advances international remittances across Africa. This integration empowers IMTOs to securely connect with Airtel Money’s expanding footprint, enabling real-time payments that foster financial inclusion and drive economic growth.”
Similarly, pawaPay CEO, Nikolai Barnwell, emphasized that remittances remain central to the company’s mission of simplifying African payments. “Deepening our relationship with Airtel Money allows IMTOs to leverage our world-class infrastructure for seamless cross-border transactions,” he said.
Remittances are a critical source of income for millions across Africa, with the World Bank reporting that flows to sub-Saharan Africa exceeded $50 billion in 2023. As demand rises, pawaPay has revealed plans to extend this service to more Airtel Money Africa markets in the near future, supporting financial accessibility and economic resilience in the region.
For more on Airtel Money’s cross-border payment solutions, visit Airtel Africa.
