Pay with M-Pesa Using Peanut — Coming Soon
Peanut is adding M-Pesa support. Soon you'll pay at 550K+ merchants and send money across Kenya and Tanzania from your digital dollar balance.
Peanut is adding M-Pesa support. Soon you'll be able to pay at over 550,000 merchants and send money to anyone in Kenya and Tanzania directly from your Peanut balance — without needing a local SIM card or mobile money account. M-Pesa is the pioneering mobile money system that revolutionized payments in East Africa. It has over 90% mobile money penetration in Kenya and more than 30 million registered accounts in Tanzania. Once the integration goes live, Peanut will connect you to Africa's most important payment network using your digital dollar balance.
M-Pesa is not just a payment method — it is the financial infrastructure of East Africa. From taxi rides to grocery shopping to rent payments, M-Pesa processes more transactions than all other digital payment methods combined in Kenya. In Tanzania, it shares the mobile money landscape with Tigo Pesa and Airtel Money but remains the dominant player. Peanut will give you access to this network without the usual requirement of a local Safaricom or Vodacom SIM card.
What Is M-Pesa?
M-Pesa is a mobile money system launched in 2007 by Safaricom (a Vodafone subsidiary) in Kenya. It is widely credited with revolutionizing mobile money globally and is one of the most successful fintech innovations in history. In Tanzania, M-Pesa is operated by Vodacom.
M-Pesa works via USSD/SMS — it does not require a smartphone or internet connection for basic transactions. Users dial a code (like *334# on Safaricom in Kenya) to initiate payments, transfers, and withdrawals. A smartphone app is also available with additional features. The system supports merchant payments (Lipa Na M-Pesa), person-to-person transfers, bill payments, and cash-in/cash-out through an extensive agent network.
The agent network is critical infrastructure — there are more M-Pesa agents than bank branches and ATMs combined in Kenya. These agents handle cash deposits and withdrawals, making M-Pesa accessible even in areas without bank infrastructure.
M-Pesa also enables direct mobile money transfers between Kenya and Tanzania, making the cross-border corridor between these countries seamless.
Where You Can Pay
M-Pesa is accepted at over 550,000 merchants across Kenya and Tanzania:
- Supermarkets — Naivas, Carrefour, Quickmart (Kenya)
- Restaurants, cafes, and street food — from Nairobi's restaurant scene to Dar es Salaam's food vendors
- Matatus and transport — public minibus fares in Kenya
- Pharmacies and clinics — healthcare payments
- Utility companies — electricity, water, internet (KPLC, Safaricom fiber, etc.)
- Online services and e-commerce — Jumia, Glovo, and other platforms
In Kenya, M-Pesa is the default payment method in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and throughout the country. Cash is declining rapidly in urban areas. In Tanzania, M-Pesa is widely used in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, and Zanzibar, though cash remains more common in rural and tourist areas.
How It Will Work
- 1
Open Peanut and select Pay
You'll open the Peanut app and choose to make an M-Pesa payment — either paying a merchant or sending to a person.
- 2
Enter the merchant till number or recipient's phone number
For merchant payments (Lipa Na M-Pesa), enter the till number displayed at the point of sale. For person-to-person transfers, enter the recipient's Safaricom (Kenya) or Vodacom (Tanzania) phone number.
- 3
Review the payment
You'll see the local currency amount (KES or TZS), the digital dollar equivalent, and the exchange rate. The rate will lock at the moment of confirmation.
- 4
Confirm and pay
Tap to confirm. The merchant or recipient will receive funds instantly in their M-Pesa account. From their side, it will look like a standard M-Pesa payment.
The exact payment flow will be confirmed closer to launch. The steps above reflect the general M-Pesa experience combined with Peanut's existing payment model.
What You'll Need
When M-Pesa support goes live, you'll need:
- A Peanut account with identity verification. Verify with your passport or national ID card from any country — under 2 minutes for most users. Your documents are handled securely and Peanut never sees or stores them.
- A funded digital dollar balance. Deposit from any exchange or wallet, or via bank transfer. All deposits are free.
- The recipient's phone number or merchant till number. M-Pesa uses phone numbers and till numbers as payment identifiers.
- No local SIM card or M-Pesa account on your end. You won't need a Safaricom SIM, Vodacom SIM, or your own M-Pesa account to send money or pay merchants through Peanut.
Specific requirements and transaction limits will be confirmed at launch.
Fees & Exchange Rate
Peanut charges no fees on payments. When M-Pesa support goes live, you'll convert digital dollars to Kenyan shillings (KES) or Tanzanian shillings (TZS) at a competitive market exchange rate with no transaction fee and no hidden charges.
Kenya receives approximately $4 billion in remittances annually, primarily from the UK, US, and Canada. Traditional remittance services on these corridors often charge 5-10% in fees. Peanut will offer instant delivery via M-Pesa at competitive rates — the recipient gets funds directly in their M-Pesa account, ready to spend immediately.
The rate locks when you confirm each payment — no slippage, no post-transaction adjustments. Detailed rate comparisons and savings estimates for the Kenya and Tanzania corridors will be published closer to launch.
