Safaricom, Kenya’s biggest telco, will now allow M-PESA users to send up to KES 500,000 ($3,850) in a single transaction to any bank account through the new PesaLink mini app.
PesaLink, run by the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA), connects local banks, allowing users to move money instantly between accounts. The update removes the need to split payments previously capped at KES 250,000 ($1,925).
The change builds on a series of regulatory approvals by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). In August 2023, Safaricom and its rival Airtel Money raised the maximum account balance and the daily transaction limit to KSh 500,000 ($3,850).
A month later, both companies lifted the per-transaction cap from KES 150,000 ($1,155) to KES 250,000 ($1,925). The last major increase before that came in 2020, when regulators doubled transaction limits during the pandemic to sustain cashless trade.
The update shows how M-PESA is extending beyond peer-to-peer transfers into bigger, business-driven payments. Lifting the cap on high-value transfers makes it more practical for SMEs and corporates, at a time when cashless trade is growing and regulators are loosening limits.
Over 675,000 businesses received payments via Lipa Na M-PESA, with KES 1.974 trillion ($15.2 billion) processed for the year ended March 2025. Business payments alone earned Safaricom KES 48.6 billion ($375 million) over the same period, cementing the segment as one of its strongest growth drivers.
That revenue puts business payments close to the level of peer-to-peer transfers once held, a sign that M-PESA’s focus is shifting.
M-PESA’s key limits remain unchanged outside PesaLink. The maximum account balance is KES 500,000 ($3,850), the maximum daily transaction value is KES 500,000 ($3,850), and the maximum amount per transaction is KSh 250,000 ($1,925).
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