Safaricom and Pesapal have announced new payment experiences to make checkout faster and simpler for businesses and customers across Kenya.
The partnership expands Safaricom’s M-PESA payment capabilities through Pesapal’s merchant payment infrastructure, introducing Dynamic Scan-to-Pay and Tap-to-Pay on Pesapal point-of-sale (POS) devices.
Dynamic Scan-to-Pay allows customers to scan a QR code displayed on a Pesapal POS using M-PESA. The merchant details and payment amount are automatically populated. This allows customers to verify the information before completing the transaction.
The new Tap-to-Pay feature allows customers with NFC-enabled smartphones to tap their device on a Pesapal POS, verify the transaction details and complete payment.
“Our partnership with Pesapal is an important part of that journey, bringing together our respective capabilities to shape the next generation of everyday payments,” said James Maitai, Group Chief Technology Officer at Safaricom.
Pesapal founder Agosta Liko said the integration is designed to improve the checkout experience for businesses using its platform.
Safaricom introduces AI Pay
Safaricom is also introducing AI Pay through its M-PESA experience on My OneApp, which has recorded more than 7 million downloads.
The feature allows customers to scan a receipt and identify the relevant M-PESA Till or PayBill number and payment amount. This reduces the need for manual entry.
Safaricom says Scan-to-Pay is already available at more than 60,000 merchant outlets. The target is to reach 500,000 outlets within the next year.
Pesapal sees payments moving beyond the checkout
Pesapal CEO Agosta Liko said the company’s rollout with Safaricom is part of a longer-term push to make payments more seamless across different business environments.
He said the Tap-to-Pay functionality currently requires an NFC-enabled smartphone. Scan-to-pay, on the other hand, works across a wider range of smartphones. The Scan-to-Pay service uses the Kenya Quick Response (KE-QR) standard defined by the Central Bank of Kenya.
Liko also pointed to potential application beyond the traditional checkout points. These may include petrol stations and other businesses where customers could be able to complete transactions directly at the point where they receive a service.
“In the fullness of time, we want to be able to make you go, tap your device on the pump, enter the amount you want to pay, and then you fuel yourself,” he said.
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Also Read: How to Buy Airtel Airtime from M-Pesa Using Pesapal Paybill 220220
