Safaricom has launched M-PESA Super App for customers and M-PESA for Business App with very amazing features such as an “Offline Mode” that will enable customers to use the app to complete their transactions such as sending and receiving money and making payments even without data bundles or when totally offline. The Mini-Apps will enable customers and businesses to complete day-to-day and occasional tasks within the M-PESA Super App and M-PESA for Business App, including deliveries, ticket booking, shopping, license applications, insurance, and much more from hundreds of businesses, government agencies, utilities, and other firms.
“Smartphones have increasingly become popular as they connect customers to more opportunities empowering them to achieve more at work, in their business, when learning, and even for entertainment. In response, we have designed the M-PESA Super App to enhance our customers’ experience every time they use the service, providing them with a simple, fun, secure, and convenient digital solution,” said Safaricom CEO, Peter Ndegwa.
Customers can access the Mini-Apps through the “Discover” option on the App while merchants on Lipa Na M-PESA can do so through the “Hub” option on the M-PESA for Business App. The first services available there include Madaraka SGR ticketing, long-distance bus booking with BuuPass, event tickets on Mtickets, shopping gift vouchers on GiftPesa Vouchers, insurance services on eBima, and gas delivery from Pro-Gas. The Mini-Apps for businesses on Lipa Na M-PESA will be available in the coming weeks under the “Hub” option.
The M-PESA Super App further provides customers with a range of other convenient features that include fingerprint and face unlock and transaction authentication, detailed usage statements, and an easy-to-use and fun design. Customers can therefore use fingerprint or face unlock to confirm a transaction in place of their M-PESA PINs. Safaricom customers can now send money to many people through the new M-PESA “Send to Many” option where they will be able to make multiple transactions to different recipients but only need to enter their PIN or authentication once. Customers using the app can equally “Request Money” from a sender who will only need to confirm the transaction by keying their PIN.
“More than 5 million businesses that receive payments through the ‘Send Money’ option on M-PESA, will be able to leverage on these descriptions to identify the individuals who have made the payments to them. The new M-PESA App will also empower small businesses and app users with the ability to send money to multiple people using only one authentication,” said Sitoyo Lopokoit, the CEO M-PESA Africa & Chief Financial Services Officer at Safaricom PLC.
Safaricom says with the new App, customers will be able to categorise their transactions for different purposes, easily download statements and view graphical representations of how they utilise their funds on a month-on-month basis. They be able to enjoy the option to personalise transactions by attaching a GIF when sending money or by adding descriptions to transaction details as they will be useful in providing personal explanations to transactions.
The M-PESA Super App has equally been designed to provide customers with a variety of convenient options when sending and receiving money including the addition of Pochi La Biashara and M-PESA Global options which allows them to send money to other mobile phone customers around East Africa, and to other countries directly into bank accounts, Western Union, or link and transact through PayPal.
More than 1.3 million customers have downloaded the M-PESA Super App and another 100,000 plus businesses have downloaded the M-PESA for Business App since their introduction in December and June 2020, respectively.
To mark the launch of the new features, Safaricom will award all customers who book SGR tickets on the Madaraka Express Mini-App with 10% of the value back into their M-PESA accounts. All customers who download the M-PESA Super App for the first time will get 500 MB of free Safaricom data. In addition, every 10th customer to download the app for the first time over the next three days will get KES 500 into their M-PESA account.
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