Airtel Africa plans to checklist its cell cash unit, Airtel Cash, within the first half of 2026 because the telecoms big seeks to capitalise on the rising demand for digital cost companies throughout the continent.
On Thursday, Airtel confirmed the itemizing plan amid rising investor urge for food for Africa’s fintech sector, significantly cell cost platforms that supply thousands and thousands of unbanked customers entry to transactions, credit score, and remittances. Airtel Africa, listed in London and working in 14 African international locations, informed Reuters the IPO would give Airtel Cash the independence and visibility to scale its operations.
The deliberate IPO indicators Airtel Cash’s transfer to shut the hole with rivals like Safaricom’s M-Pesa and MTN’s MoMo within the booming digital funds market. By getting autonomy and elevating capital from the IPO, Airtel Cash hopes to compete with heavyweights that take pleasure in massive consumer bases and deep market penetration.
Whereas the corporate didn’t disclose the trade or fundraising goal, it reaffirmed its intention to go public, first introduced in 2024 when it started exploring a possible spin-off of the fast-growing unit. The corporate had initially set a goal of July 2025.
“We’re dedicated to the IPO timeline of July. We nonetheless have six months to determine the main points for it,” Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa CEO, mentioned in January. “Our general precedence stays to put money into the robust development of the enterprise.”
Airtel Cash has emerged as a key engine of development for the group, with revenues from the service rising 20.7% in 2024. The platform processed $112 billion in transaction worth final 12 months, pushed by rising adoption in key markets.
Airtel is betting {that a} standalone itemizing will speed up Airtel Cash’s enlargement in international locations like Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo — markets the place cell cash utilization continues to climb however stays removed from saturation. With over 30 million lively customers throughout 14 markets and partnerships with banks, Airtel Cash desires to tackle regional opponents like Kenya’s Safaricom and South Africa’s.
Regardless of its fast development lately, Airtel Cash has floor to make up. Safaricom’s M-Pesa continues to dominate in Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania, processing greater than $300 billion a 12 months and remaining the popular choice for cell transactions in lots of households and companies. MTN’s MoMo enjoys a bigger footprint throughout West and Central Africa. M-Pesa has an estimated 66.2 million lively customers, whereas MoMo has 65 million.