Western Union, Regional VP, Richard Malcolm and Safaricom Chief Customer Officer, Sylvia MulingeSince its launch in 2007, M-PESA has been largely confined to the Kenyan borders. In partnership with Western Union however, the M-PESA brand has finally been able to break borders and is now accessible across the world.
M-PESA Global enables any M-PESA customer to send money to any part of the world, either to a bank account or to a Western Union agent outlet anywhere in the world.
Kenyan Brand, Global Reach
The partnership with Western Union means that M-PESA will be accessible to more than 500, 000 Western Union agents and banks around the globe. This makes M-PESA Global the first of its kind in enabling sending and receiving of money between mobile phones and virtually any individual across the world.
To use #MPESAGlobal you can use mySafaricom app or dial *840#Customers can access the new service by dialling *840# or by selecting “M-PESA Global” under the M-PESA menu on mySafaricomApp.
Western Union joins PayPal, World Remit, and HomeSend that have also partnered with Safaricom to bring mobile money to more than 200 markets across the world.
The success of M-PESA has largely been attributed to the wide agency network across Kenya which saw people using the service due to its access and ease of use. By partnering with a company that operates globally using a similar agency model, Safaricom may just be attempting to replicate its success but on a global scale.
What is the secret to the success of M-PESA? https://t.co/eKGpihpM8I @SafaricomPLC #MPESAGlobal pic.twitter.com/mqWJKu14U0
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) November 7, 2018
Safaricom is definitely looking to become a global brand by exporting the M-PESA brand, and the new partnership will help position the company to be exactly that, a Kenyan brand with a global reach.
Below are the new tariffs while using M-PESA Global:
| Min | Max | Tariff (KES) |
| 100 | 5000 | 100 |
| 5001 | 15000 | 250 |
| 15001 | 35000 | 350 |
| 35001 | 70000 | 500 |
