Mobile Finance

Singapore-based global payment platform Thunes announced on Monday that it’s expanding its cross-border payments network across the Middle East in six new markets: Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman, South Yemen, Syria and the UAE.

The growing importance of mobile money in Sri Lanka is underlined by two recent announcements from leading operator Dialog Axiata relating to the remittance market and lifestyle retail.

Visa announced on Wednesday it has successfully tested its first live international transaction in Syria in its bid to help integrate the country’s financial services sector into the global digital economy.

Tech giant Ericsson and MTN Group Fintech, which operates African digital financial platform MoMo (Mobile Money), say they have completed what they call the Mobile Money (MoMo) Evolved Migration across key African markets, with more markets on the way.

Veon-owned telco Banglalink said on Wednesday it has received a payment service provider (PSP) licence from Bangladesh’s central bank, clearing the way for its entry into the country's digital payments market.

In the latest in a number of deals it has made in the Vietnam market, TerraPay, a global money movement company, has partnered with HDBank, one of Vietnam’s leading commercial banks, to enable real-time outbound international payments from Vietnam to bank accounts and mobile wallets worldwide.

Stc pay Bahrain announced on Thursday it is partnering with PayPal to launch seamless cross-border fund transfers by enabling users to link their PayPal accounts directly to the stc pay app and move funds between both platforms.

African digital payments network Onafriq announced on Wednesday it is partnering with stablecoin infrastructure provider Privy to drive development of stablecoin-enabled crypto payment services across its network.

It’s been a busy week for Ethiopia’s second-biggest operator, which has introduced more new services via its M-Pesa mobile money service. However, its state-owned rival is also celebrating positive news, after announcing impressive customer and revenue growth figures.

Guinea has launched a new instant payment system called NimbaPay, which enables instant, secure, and interoperable payments between participating banks, electronic money institutions and microfinance institutions.

Vodacom Lesotho has launched Tsetela, a mobile-based investment solution aimed at expanding access to formal investing among the country’s population.

The continuing advances made by insurance services into the mobile communications sphere are illustrated by new insurance-related partnerships in two very different markets: Uganda and Jordan.

Airtel Africa is reportedly stepping up preparations for the long-awaited initial public offering of its mobile money business, with plans to list the unit in London as soon as the second half of the year.

Veon announced that its Pakistan subsidiary JazzWorld has completed its acquisition of a controlling stake of TPL Insurance for PKR4.55 billion (US$16.4 million), enabling it to expand its digital services portfolio into the insurtech sector.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata announced on Tuesday it has launched Dialog Pay, a unified payments and financial services ecosystem designed to boost adoption of digital payments.

Malawian farmers will now be able to receive payments directly into their mobile wallets after a deal agreed between a local branch of Airtel Money and the country’s Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (ADMARC).

Operator Orange Jordan, on behalf of Orange Money, has announced a new strategic partnership with insurance company MetLife to provide seamless access to insurance solutions via an e-wallet application, giving users tailored, digital coverage designed around their needs.

Vietnamese state telco VNPT announced on Thursday it has signed a comprehensive agreement with PVcomBank to expand cooperation in the areas of digital finance, digital payments and digital transformation between now and 2030.

MTN Group Fintech has partnered with Ant International to modernise its mobile money platform, with the first deployment expected in Nigeria next quarter.

Financial brand Telda and payments giant Mastercard have joined forces to introduce a new integrated solution in Egypt, seamlessly connecting everyday payments and investment wallets within the Telda app, marking what they call a major step towards a fully unified digital ecosystem.

Mobile money service Vodacom M‑Pesa Tanzania has announced a new partnership with digital payment giant PayPal that will enable customers in Tanzania to seamlessly transfer funds between their PayPal and M‑Pesa wallets through the M‑Pesa Super App.

Vietnam's Viettel Group announced on Friday it has held discussions with the Central Bank of Haiti to expand cooperation on telecoms and digital finance projects in the Caribbean country via its local operation, Natcom.

Pan-African operator Airtel Africa has announced a delay to the planned initial public offering (IPO) of its mobile money business, initially planned for the first half of 2026. Reuters reports that the IPO will now take place in the second half of 2026.

MTN Nigeria has secured shareholder approval to sell its stakes in fintech subsidiaries MoMo Payment Service Bank and Yellow Digital Financial Services to parent company MTN Group.

Airtel Africa is lining up a potentially sizeable IPO of its mobile money business, with the deal expected to raise between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter.

MTN Ghana's independent mobile payments firm MobileMoney Fintech announced on Thursday that it has temporarily restricted some MoMo agent accounts as it conducts checks to ensure agents comply with guidelines and regulatory requirements.

India’s Bank of Baroda and leading mobile operator Reliance Jio have announced a partnership to launch bob World Lite, described as the first comprehensive mobile banking app designed specifically for feature phone users, on the JioPhone Prima 4G device.

Two partnerships, both announced at GITEX Africa Morocco 2026, are aimed at improve digital financial services and strengthening financial inclusion within Morocco.

Ethio Telecom announced on Thursday it has partnered with Ethiopian Toll Roads Enterprise (ETRE) to launch an RFID-powered digital toll payment solution for users of the Addis Ababa-Adama expressway.

Sri Lankan telco Dialog Axiata has launched a new QR-based payment solution for its mobile money service that enables users to send and receive money directly to each other.

Vodacom Tanzania says it has modernised its M-Pesa platform via a US$28 million strategic investment to make its mobile money service more reliable and secure.

Payment giant Mastercard is back in the news in Africa with digital finance announcements affecting consumers in Sierra Leone and businesses in five other African countries.

Global payment infrastructure provider Thunes says it has launched a direct-to-workforce cross-border payout solution that allows businesses to pay remote overseas teams, freelancers and gig workers instantly.