Vodacom to shut down M-Pesa platform

folarin okunola

May 10, 2016 2:40 PM

The M-Pesa mobile payment platform was launched in Kenya by Vodacom's parent company, Vodafone, in 2007.

A shopper walks past a Vodacom shop in Johannesburg February 4, 2015.

Vodacom has announced that it will no longer support the M-Pesa mobile payment platform in South Africa by the end of June 2016.

Shameel Joosub, Vodacom CEO, made this known yesterday, Monday, May9, 2016, in a statement saying, “Vodacom’s decision is based on the fact that the business sustainability of M-Pesa is predicated on achieving a critical mass of users. Based on our revised projections and high levels of financial inclusion in SA there is little prospect of the M-Pesa product achieving this in its current format in the mid-term.”

READ: Nigerian, team win $15, 000 in FinTech competition

“In other markets where financial inclusion is limited and where there is a more supportive macro environment, M-Pesa continues to gain solid traction based on exponential growth in customer acquisition. Kenya and Tanzania are prime examples of this. It is important to note that this decision does not affect M-Pesa customers in Tanzania, Lesotho, Mozambique and the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), where the product continues to grow exponentially,” the statement said, according to Innovation Village.

“Vodacom is fully committed to mitigating any inconvenience to customers impacted by the decision and assures all M-Pesa SA customers that their funds remain safe and readily accessible. We remain of the opinion that opportunities exist in the financial services environment and we will continue to explore these,” Joosub added, in the statement.

The M-Pesa mobile payment platform was launched in Kenya by Vodacom's parent company, Vodafone, in 2007, and has since grown to more than 25 million active users.

folarin okunola