Mobile money payment provider pawaPay has launched its inbound remittance service across seven African countries through an expanded partnership with Airtel Money Africa, the mobile financial services division of telecommunications giant Airtel Africa. The rollout covers Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, and Tanzania, enabling International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to send funds directly to Airtel Money’s network of over 161 million users.
Building on over five years of collaboration in domestic mobile money, pawaPay’s platform—which supports 99.9% uptime and processes over four million daily transactions—will now underpin Airtel Money Africa’s backend for international transfers. This partnership provides licensed IMTOs with streamlined access to Airtel’s mobile money infrastructure, reducing operational complexity and accelerating cross-border payments.
pawaPay CEO Nikolai Barnwell highlighted the strategic role of remittances in Africa’s financial landscape and the company’s mission to simplify payments for businesses. The expanded collaboration enables IMTOs to leverage pawaPay’s robust infrastructure to improve real-time mobile wallet transactions, supporting entrepreneurship and financial inclusion.
Airtel Money Africa CEO Ian Ferrao expressed satisfaction with the partnership’s growth, emphasizing pawaPay’s reliability and commitment to African consumers. Following the initial launch in seven countries, pawaPay plans to extend remittance services to more Airtel Money territories, with specific markets and timelines to be announced.
