Safaricom updates My OneApp for Airtel and roaming

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

•My OneApp represents a strategic consolidation of Safaricom's M-PESA and MySafaricom applications into a single digital platform, offering integrated access to mobile money, connectivity services (data, minutes, SMS), and other features like Bonga points, Mshwari, and ZiiDi.
•The application leverages AI-driven personalization to adapt to individual user behavior, providing tailored offers, quick access to frequently used merchants, and automatically surfacing relevant financial services such as investments and bill payments.
•New functionalities introduced with My OneApp include AI Pay, which allows users to scan receipts for automatic payment detail extraction, NFC tap-to-pay for seamless low-value transactions, and an enhanced 'agentic' Zuri chatbot designed for more natural conversational interactions.
•This update is a key component of Safaricom's 'FinTech 2.0' strategy, signaling the company's evolution beyond a traditional telecommunications provider to an AI-first technology company focused on building intelligent digital infrastructure for Kenya's future.
•For enhanced security and fraud mitigation, My OneApp incorporates SIM binding, requiring the Safaricom SIM card to be present and set as the primary SIM, and for initial login or activation while roaming, it necessitates the use of Safaricom mobile data rather than Wi-Fi, which initially caused access challenges for some diaspora users.

📊 Competitor Analysis▸ Show

Feature/Service	Safaricom My OneApp	Airtel Kenya (My Airtel App / Airtel Lite)	Telkom Kenya (T-Kash App / My Telkom App)
Core Functionality	Unified platform for M-PESA, GSM (airtime, data, SMS, Bonga), Home Fiber, Quick Care, mini-apps.	My Airtel App: Bundles, send/receive money, pay bills, buy goods (QR), deposit/withdraw, transaction history. Airtel Lite: PWA for low-storage phones, zero data usage for core services.	T-Kash App: Send money (Telkom, M-PESA, soon Airtel Money), buy airtime/data, pay bills, withdrawals/deposits, balance check, loans, insurance, investments. My Telkom App: Account management, top-up, Ziada points, bundles, credit transfers.
AI/Personalization	AI-driven personalization, AI Pay, agentic Zuri chatbot, tailored offers, quick actions.	Not explicitly highlighted as AI-driven personalization in search results.	Not explicitly highlighted as AI-driven personalization in search results.
Advanced Payments	Scan to Pay QR, AI Pay, NFC tap-to-pay.	QR code payments (My Airtel App).	Not explicitly mentioned beyond standard mobile money payments.
Security Features	SIM binding, biometric authentication, fraud reporting, PIN recovery, requires Safaricom SIM as primary and mobile data for initial roaming login.	Not explicitly detailed in search results, but mobile money platforms generally have security measures.	Not explicitly detailed in search results, but mobile money platforms generally have security measures.
Target Audience	All Safaricom registered customers (Android, iOS, Huawei 4G+), M-PESA registered users for full features, diaspora users.	All Android and iOS users, particularly those mindful of data consumption or with low-storage smartphones (Airtel Lite).	Telkom Kenya registered users.
Unique Selling Points	Unified 'super app' experience, high transaction capacity (6,000 TPS), FinTech 2.0 strategy, extensive mini-app ecosystem.	Zero data usage for core app services, lightweight PWA (Airtel Lite), often lower transaction fees than M-Pesa.	Loans, insurance, investments integrated into T-Kash, loyalty program (T-Kash), ability to use My Telkom App without SIM in device.

🛠️ Technical Deep Dive

My OneApp merges the functionalities of the standalone M-PESA App and MySafaricom App into a single unified platform.
The application incorporates AI-driven personalization to learn and adapt to user behavior over time.
Safaricom's underlying financial infrastructure, part of its FinTech 2.0 strategy, has been upgraded to support up to 6,000 transactions per second, a substantial increase from previous capacities of approximately 100 transactions per second.
The financial core has transitioned to a multi-tenant, AI-first platform, enhancing scalability, resilience, and intelligent service delivery.
Integrated security features include biometric authentication, fraud reporting, and PIN recovery.
The app supports NFC (Near-Field Communication) tap-to-pay for quick transactions.
For security and fraud mitigation, My OneApp employs SIM binding, which requires the physical Safaricom SIM card or eSIM to be present in the device and set as the primary SIM.
Initial activation and login while roaming specifically require a Safaricom mobile data connection for SIM-based authentication, after which Wi-Fi can be used.
My OneApp hosts an ecosystem of over 80 mini-applications, allowing third-party services to operate within the platform.
The Daraja API platform, with over 66,000 integrations, facilitates connections between developers, businesses, and consumers, with Daraja 3.0 introducing Security APIs for fraud detection and IoT APIs.

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

Safaricom will solidify its position as a dominant 'super app' provider in Kenya and potentially expand its influence in East Africa.

By consolidating M-PESA and MySafaricom into My OneApp, integrating AI personalization, and fostering a mini-app ecosystem, Safaricom is creating a comprehensive digital lifestyle platform designed to retain users for a broad spectrum of services, mirroring successful super app models globally.

The enhanced security features, particularly SIM binding, will reduce mobile money fraud but may continue to present initial usability hurdles for some diaspora and dual-SIM users.

While the SIM binding and mobile data verification are crucial for strengthening security and mitigating fraud, the initial rollout issues experienced by diaspora users indicate ongoing challenges that Safaricom must address to ensure seamless adoption and user experience.

Safaricom's 'FinTech 2.0' strategy and upgraded infrastructure will enable rapid deployment of new AI-driven financial and digital services, intensifying competition with traditional banks and other fintech companies.

The significant increase in transaction processing capacity to 6,000 transactions per second and the adoption of an AI-first platform provide a robust foundation for scaling existing services and introducing innovative features like AI Pay and advanced chatbots, pushing Safaricom deeper into financial health and wealth creation sectors.

⏳ Timeline

2007

Safaricom launches M-PESA, revolutionizing mobile money services in Kenya.

2014-02

Safaricom partners with Skrill to enable Kenyans in the diaspora to send money directly to M-Pesa accounts.

2021-08

Safaricom introduces the Daima Service, allowing customers, including those abroad, to keep their lines active for extended periods without needing frequent top-ups.

2025-02

Airtel Kenya launches Airtel Lite, a Progressive Web App (PWA) for self-care, and announces zero-rated access for the My Airtel App.

2026-01

Safaricom introduces a service enabling diaspora customers to remotely register and activate an eSIM.

2026-04

Safaricom unveils My OneApp at the Decode summit, merging the M-PESA and MySafaricom apps into a single, AI-powered platform, with a phased rollout beginning shortly after.

Safaricom updates My OneApp for Airtel and roaming

⚡ 30-Second TL;DR

Key Points

🧠 Deep Insight

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

🛠️ Technical Deep Dive

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

⏳ Timeline

📎 Sources (24)

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