Kenya Fast Payment System (FPS)AnnouncedNational instant rail announced by the CBK (Central Bank of Kenya), which unveiled the plan on October 18, 2024, as part of its National Payments Strategy. It competes head-on with PesaLink, and the choice between public infrastructure and an industry-led solution is still open: a point to watch in any Kenya integration.Central Bank of Kenya
Global registry · Africa & Middle East · East Africa
Kenya Payment systems
9 systems listed.
CurrencyKenyan shilling (KES)
RegulatorCentral Bank of Kenya (CBK)
Leading payment methods
M-PesaCashCardsBank transfer
E-commerce shares
Wallets · 55%Cards · 25%Account-to-account · 10%Cash · 8%Other · 2%
M-Pesa. The world's mobile money pioneer (Safaricom, 2007): about 34 million active users in Kenya and roughly $300 billion in annual flows, from school fees to instant loans (M-Shwari, Fuliza). It even works on basic phones over USSD.
Active M-Pesa users (Kenya)≈34M
M-Pesa annual flows≈$300B (FY2024–25, Safaricom)
Financial inclusion26 % (2006) → >84 %
Kenya's financial inclusion rate rose from about 26% (2006) to more than 84% on the back of mobile money, the textbook case every central bank on the continent cites.
Learn about this market. The guides and courses that cover it.
Payments in KenyaPayments in East AfricaPayments in Portuguese-speaking and southern AfricaMobile money in AfricaPayments in West and Southern AfricaPayments in the CEMAC zoneAccepting payments in AfricaAccepting payments in Egypt and the MaghrebAccepting payments in the GulfCollecting payments in Kenya and East AfricaCollecting payments in Nigeria and West AfricaPayments in Africa: the continent that reinvented mobile money
Instant payments
PesaLinkKenya’s interbank instant rail, the banks’ answer to M-Pesa. The policy stakes are high: the banks and Safaricom propose making PesaLink the national Fast Payment System, while the CBK has said it wants to build its own. Connected to PAPSS since February 2026 for cross-border payments in local currencies.Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL) (subsidiary of the Kenya Bankers Association) · since 2017More than 80 integrated institutions (IPSL/KBA, 2025–2026). Volumes up 78% in 2023 over 2022 (KBA 2023 annual report); no cross-checked 2025 figure.
Clearing and settlement
Nairobi Automated Clearing House (NACH)Kenya’s retail clearing house for checks and electronic funds transfers (EFTs). It is the net-settlement bulk rail that operates alongside the KEPSS RTGS and PesaLink. ⚠️ It shares a name with India’s NACH, run by NPCI, but the two are unrelated.Central Bank of Kenya, together with the Kenya Bankers AssociationLimit of KES 1 million per check since October 2009; clearing cycle cut from T+3 to T+1 in 2013 (Central Bank of Kenya, National Payments System page, accessed 2026)
KEPSS (Kenya Electronic Payment and Settlement System)Kenya's RTGS, live since July 29, 2005: continuous processing and final settlement of interbank transfers. It is also Kenyan banks' gateway to the regional REPSS and EAPS rails, both of which run inside KEPSS.Central Bank of Kenya · since 2005
Mobile money
M-PESAThe world’s benchmark mobile money service, which made Kenya a market where the dominant rail is neither bank-run nor public. That context is essential to understanding PesaLink’s relative weakness.Safaricom (Vodacom/Vodafone group) · since 2007
M-Pesa (Kenya)The most studied payment system in the world, and still Africa’s largest mobile money service. The key 2026 fact: growth is now driven by free transactions (58% of volume, including nearly 37% from “Kadogo” micropayments alone), and the model is shifting from per-transaction revenue to ecosystem revenue (credit, merchants, co-branded Visa).Safaricom plc / M-Pesa Africa (Safaricom–Vodacom joint venture) · since 2007KES 41.68 trillion (about $322 billion) in transaction value and 46.41 billion transactions in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026 (+8.9% by value, +25.1% by volume); 40 million monthly active customers in Kenya; about 89% of Kenya’s mobile money market; M-Pesa revenue of KES 182.7 billion, or 45.6% of group revenue; 3.1 million merchants (+71%); 17.1 billion free “Kadogo” micro-transactions, or 36.8% of volume; in all, 57.8% of transactions were free (Safaricom FY26 annual results, May 2026).
Acquiring and processing
KenswitchKenya’s domestic interbank switch, pooling ATMs, POS terminals, and agent networks across banks, with CBK approval for shared banking agents. It is the only national card switching infrastructure in a market too often reduced to M-Pesa.Kenswitch Limited (company set up by a bank consortium as part of the national payment system modernization led by the Central Bank of Kenya) · since 200226 member banks; more than 2,500 ATMs, about 40,000 POS terminals, and 50,000 agents connected (Kenswitch, 2026)
DPO Pay (formerly DPO Group / Direct Pay Online)Online acceptance provider operating in East and Southern Africa, now under the Network International brand. The original entry flagged the ownership chain (Network International, then Brookfield) for due diligence: only ownership by Network International is confirmed by a primary source; the move under Brookfield’s control is not confirmed here.Network International (the service now trades as “DPO Pay by Network”; the DPO acquisition was part of Network International’s 2016–2021 regional expansion phase, and its Africa headquarters is in Nairobi.)Claimed presence in more than 20 countries, with a country selector covering 11 markets (dpogroup.com, accessed August 2026)
Cross-border rails
EAPS (East African Payment System)The East African Community's high-value cross-border rail, in local currencies, open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EAT, Monday through Friday. It complements the retail rails (TIPS, PesaLink) rather than competing with them. Burundi is not a participant, despite what presentations listing all five EAC central banks suggest.Link between the national RTGS systems of the East African Community; Kenyan access runs through KEPSS, run by the Central Bank of Kenya, and the Bank of Tanzania lists it among its clearing and settlement systems.Four participating countries: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda (Central Bank of Kenya, National Payments System page, 2026).