• Vodacom Tanzania launches M-Pesa Global Payments, enabling seamless international transactions through partnerships with Visa, Alipay, MTN Uganda, and others.

• Tanzanian users can now pay global merchants directly from their mobile wallets, including Visa-enabled terminals, Alipay merchants in China, TerraPay merchants in Dubai, and MTN MoMo merchants in Uganda.

• The launch aligns with Tanzania’s booming mobile money sector, which saw subscriptions grow 92% from 2020 to 2024 and is projected to reach USD 221 billion by 2033.

Vodacom Tanzania has launched a significant upgrade to its mobile money ecosystem, introducing M-Pesa Global Payments, an international payment service designed to accelerate, simplify, and secure cross-border commerce for Tanzanian consumers and businesses. Announced on November 27, 2025, the new service allows M-Pesa users to pay merchants worldwide directly from their mobile wallets.

Through partnerships with Visa, Alipay (via Thunes), Network International, Magnati, TerraPay, and MTN Uganda, customers can now tap to pay on Visa-enabled terminals using the M-Pesa Visa digital card, pay merchants in China through Alipay, make purchases in Dubai via TerraPay-connected merchants, and pay merchants in Uganda through MTN MoMo. All services are accessible through the standard M-Pesa USSD menu (15000#) or the M-Pesa Super App.

Epimack Mbeteni, Director of M-Pesa at Vodacom Tanzania, said, “Our partnerships with VISA, Alipay, Network Internal, and MTN Uganda demonstrate our commitment to building a strong and interconnected digital payments ecosystem. Together, we are enabling people and businesses to transact across borders with the same ease as they transact locally, securely, instantly, and affordably.”

The launch comes as Tanzania's mobile money sector continues its rapid expansion. According to Tanzania Investment and Consultant Group Ltd., Tanzania's mobile money sector has grown remarkably, with subscriptions rising from 32.27 million in 2020 to 61.88 million in 2024, a nearly 92% increase over five years, reflecting the country's accelerating digital transformation and growing confidence in electronic payment platforms. According to a GeoPoll survey, 94% of Tanzanians use Mobile Money, with mobile transactions dominating financial life.

The service is designed to address long-standing pain points in traditional banking channels for international payments, including high fees, delays, and security concerns. With Tanzania’s mobile money market expected to soar to USD 221 billion by 2033, growing at a robust compound annual rate of 12% between 2025 and 2033, according to Research and Markets, Vodafone Tanzania is well-positioned to capitalize on this expanding revenue opportunity.

Hikmatu Bilali