Airtel Money, pawaPay Seal Cross-Border Remittance Deal Across Africa

Airtel Money Africa has deepened its partnership with pawaPay to enable seamless cross-border remittances across seven African countries.

Airtel Money Africa is Airtel Africa’s mobile money arm, while PawaPay is a mobile payment service provider.

The deal will allow licensed International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to process inbound remittances directly into Airtel Money wallets in Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, and Tanzania.

Hence, the initiative is expected to boost financial inclusion by enabling over 161 million Airtel Money customers to receive funds instantly through a secure, scalable platform with 99.9 per cent uptime.

The chief executive officer of Airtel Money Africa, Ian Ferrao remarked that the expanded collaboration reflects the company’s commitment to building efficient digital financial ecosystems across Africa.

“We’re pleased to expand our partnership with pawaPay to advance international remittances across Africa. Their proven reliability and commitment to African consumers make them an ideal partner,” he said.

He, however, added that, this integration empowers International Money Transfer Operators to securely connect with Airtel Money’s growing footprint, delivering real-time payments that support financial inclusion and economic growth.

Similarly, the two companies have maintained a five-year working relationship focused on domestic mobile money services. With this new phase, their collaboration now supports inbound remittances, a critical economic enabler for many African households.

Meanwhile, pawaPay processes more than four million transactions daily and has been instrumental in simplifying mobile money operations across multiple markets.

Speaking on the partnership, pawaPay CEO, Nikolai Barnwell, described remittances as central to Africa’s digital economy and said the company’s infrastructure was designed to facilitate such cross-border transactions.

“Our mission is to simplify payments for businesses in Africa, and remittances are pivotal. Deepening our relationship with Airtel Money allows International Money Transfer Operators to leverage our world-class infrastructure for seamless cross-border payments,” he averred.

Remittances serve as a vital financial lifeline for millions across the continent. They also fund education, healthcare, small businesses, and community development.

Both firms noted that they aim to streamline cross-border payments, enhance customer experience, and promote digital financial inclusion across underserved communities.

Consequently, Airtel Money and pawaPay confirmed that the remittance service will be extended to additional African markets in the coming months as part of a phased rollout.