Vodacom Expands Global Payments with M-Pesa Upgrades

Vodacom Tanzania launches M-Pesa Global Payment, a service that expands the capabilities of its mobile financial platform into new international corridors.

The platform now enables cross-border transactions in China, the United Arab Emirates and Uganda, using a secure and tokenised mobile interface.

These upgrades introduce added flexibility for merchants and consumers, supporting regional trade and expanding financial access across key markets.

At the centre of the development is data infrastructure. To enable real-time digital payments across international gateways, Vodacom has partnered with Visa, Alipay, Network International, Magnati, TerraPay and MTN Uganda.

Each integration is supported by secure backend connectivity and payment processing systems that rely on scalable cloud-based services and mobile data architecture.

The launch enhances M-Pesa’s role as a mobile-first platform with embedded infrastructure for high-volume, real-time financial activity.

Epimack Mbeteni, M-Pesa Director at Vodacom Tanzania, says: “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. 

“This is central to M-Pesa’s Purpose deepening financial inclusion and ensuring that digital innovation benefits every micro, small and medium enterprise. 

“Through this combined effort, we are opening new trade corridors, reducing the cost of doing business and giving customers greater freedom to participate in the global digital economy.”

Mobile-first data architecture for cross-border use

The launch introduces the M-Pesa Visa Tap & Pay solution, marking a first for mobile payments in Africa. 

The service uses tokenisation to allow mobile users to make contactless payments anywhere Visa is accepted without revealing card details. The approach supports cloud-based security models and improves transaction speed.

Speaking on the innovation, Victor Makere, Visa Country Manager for Tanzania, says: “Through our collaboration, we are enabling millions of M-Pesa customers to experience secure, seamless, contactless payments anywhere Visa is accepted. 

“Tokenisation brings an added layer of safety and convenience allowing customers to Tap & Pay globally using their mobile phones without exposing their card details. 

“This innovation supports Tanzania’s transition toward a fully digital payments ecosystem and empowers consumers and businesses with more modern ways to pay.”

The underlying architecture of Tap & Pay leverages distributed network infrastructure that aligns with modern data centre design, allowing secure remote payment authorisations and fraud monitoring in real time.

Expanding data corridors between Asia, Africa and the Gulf

The extended service allows Tanzanian users to transact with merchants in China via Alipay, powered by Thunes’ Direct Global Network.

The integration uses an API-driven connection that facilitates seamless payment exchanges between M-Pesa and Alipay’s existing merchant ecosystem. The network relies on cloud-native data routing to deliver secure and reliable transactions.

Andrew Stewart, Chief Revenue Officer at Thunes, says: “Digitising cross-border payments is a game-changer for accessibility and supports our mission to enable the next billion end users to take part in the global economy. 

“Together with Vodacom, we are making it possible for Tanzanian businesses to pay Chinese merchants instantly through the Alipay network. 

“This new level of interoperability and innovation strengthens trust in mobile financial ecosystems and opens new avenues for international trade.”

Vodacom has added merchant payment capability in Dubai, supported by TerraPay’s global infrastructure.

These connections use platform-agnostic data models to manage multi-currency transactions and settlement layers.

Willie Kanyeki, Vice President of Sub-Saharan Africa at TerraPay, says: “At TerraPay, we believe in interoperability and enabling borderless payments. 

“Our partnership with Vodacom expands secure digital commerce opportunities for Tanzanians doing business in Dubai, connecting African consumers to new global markets.”

The regional expansion includes direct merchant payments into MTN Uganda’s MoMo wallets, again supported by Thunes’ backend integration.

As a result, it simplifies payment flows for businesses that operate across East Africa and supports low-latency data exchanges through embedded financial APIs.

Richard Yego, MTN Mobile Money Uganda Director, says: “This partnership marks a major stride toward seamless regional trade. 

“Together with Vodacom, we are unlocking greater financial access for thousands of cross-border traders in Uganda and Tanzania, especially SMEs who are the backbone of our economies.”

Positioning M-Pesa for future growth

As Vodacom continues to scale M-Pesa as a global payment platform, the technology backbone remains essential.

The system depends on high-availability data infrastructure to support millions of mobile users, enabling real-time authorisation, compliance monitoring and transaction management across borders.

These developments are designed to meet the needs of Tanzanian businesses and consumers who rely on mobile-first solutions to engage with the global economy. By anchoring services in strong digital infrastructure, Vodacom is shaping the future of mobile money in Africa.