Airtel Money has been in the news lately, and this time it just announced a partnership with Flutterwave that allows businesses in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, and Rwanda to receive payments from customers of Airtel Money as well as make bulk payments into Airtel Money wallets thanks to Airtel Money’s proprietary fintech platforms. The new services will go live subject to regulatory approvals in the respective countries and will reach Airtel Money’s 19.2 million customers based in East Africa.
Airtel Money currently has over 18 million customers in East Africa. This partnership responds to the need to bring about better financial inclusion in the East Africa region. This partnership would also see Airtel Money’s services expand across Eastern Africa. According to Vimal Kumar Ambat, the CEO of Airtel Money, “Airtel Money is committed to bridging the digital divide and enhancing financial and digital inclusion for millions of businesses across sub-Saharan Africa. Our partnership with Flutterwave will help to empower even more customers through simple and accessible payments services, using the latest technologies that support business innovation and boost local economies.”
Partnerships aimed at financial inclusion and expansion of services are not new to Flutterwave. Flutterwave is currently in partnership with MTN Group to integrate Flutterwave in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia to receive payments via MTN Mobile Money. According to Olugbenga GB Agboola, the founder and CEO of Flutterwave “Our business goal is to continue to support African businesses digitise their payments methods and introduce them to a world of opportunities that come with digitisation. We are excited to have partnered with Airtel Money to further advance local businesses’ payment methods which will allow them to increasingly provide more services to their customers, grow their customer base and revenue.”
Airtel Money is the dedicated mobile money platform for Airtel Africa, which offers mobile money services, while Flutterwave is a payments technology company that helps businesses globally expand their operations in Africa and other emerging markets through a platform that enables cross-border transactions.