Airtel eyes cross-border mobile money services

Bharti Airtel has announced plans to launch a cross-border money transfer product in East Africa. This is a first in the market across Africa and will enable Airtel Money customers to send, receive and withdraw money from their Airtel Money wallets.

The pilot phase will kick off on November 1 with the first phase targeting Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. This follows an approval by the Central Banks of Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to launch the initiative.

The next phase of the programme will roll out the service to other Airtel operating countries within the next year.

Director and Airtel Money Head Chidi Okpala said, "This is a milestone for Airtel Money customers because a big barrier has been removed."