Kenya

dLocal, a cross-border payment platform, has added Airtel Money as a payment method for Google Play in Kenya.

The fintech business enables local payments in emerging markets by linking global enterprise merchants with high-growth customers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

dLocal said in a statement that by enabling Airtel Mobile Money as a payment option, it is assisting Google in providing a localized solution that matches the needs of Kenyan users.

This reinforces Google’s efforts to increase digital accessibility, allowing a far bigger audience to interact with Google Play without difficulty.

“Enabling Kenyan users to purchase a wide variety of applications on Google Play using Airtel Mobile Money in Kenya is a proud moment for us,” said John O’Brien, chief revenue officer at dLocal.

Airtel Mobile is Kenya’s second-biggest mobile money service. According to the most recent sector figures from the Communication Authority of Kenya, the mobile money service market share increased from 7.6% to 8.9% in Q4 2024 compared to Q3.

With a total of 42,302,833 mobile money subscribers in Kenya, Airtel’s market share today stands at 3,764,952.

“This partnership reflects our shared dedication to promoting financial inclusion and empowering users in emerging markets by enabling access to tailored payment solutions,” said O’Brien.

Source: Extensia

Kenya’s active mobile phone subscriptions grew by 2 percent to reach 71.4 million as of December 2024, up from 70 million in October 2024, the country’s communications industry regulator said in a new report released on Tuesday.

According to the quarterly report by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the country’s mobile phone penetration rate reached 138.5 percent, maintaining an upward trend as demand for telecommunication services continues to expand.

“This growth is mainly attributed to the busy festive season during the same period,” the CA said in the report.

The report also noted an increase in mobile money subscriptions, which rose to 42.3 million by December 2024.

The CA said that online activities such as streaming movies, e-learning, and remote work have accelerated demand for high-speed internet, leading to increased adoption of advanced technologies, including 4G and 5G. As a result, mobile data subscriptions grew to 56.1 million by December 2024.

Smartphone penetration reached 80.5 percent, driven by the expansion of mobile broadband networks, which now cover 97 percent of the population, the report added. 

Source: Xinhua