Kenya's M-Pesa Now Lets 35M Users Invest in Stocks

Imagine buying stocks the same way you send money to a friend. That's now reality for 35 million M-Pesa users in Kenya.

Safaricom just transformed its mobile money platform from a simple payment app into a full financial ecosystem. Through a new feature called Ziidi Trader, launched in February 2026, anyone can invest in stocks and corporate bonds directly from their phone, starting with just a single share.

The numbers tell an incredible story. M-Pesa now processes 100 million transactions every single day. Since the platform launched, Kenya's financial inclusion rate has skyrocketed from 26% in 2006 to nearly 85% today.

Behind this growth is a massive $500 million investment in technology. Safaricom upgraded M-Pesa's backbone to handle 6,000 transactions per second, scaling up to 12,000 during busy periods. The system maintains 99.999% uptime, meaning it's almost always available when users need it.

Security matters just as much as speed. Working with Amazon Web Services, Safaricom built an AI system that catches fraud with 89% accuracy. The technology uses graph neural networks to scan millions of transactions and spot suspicious patterns before users get hurt.

Customer service got smarter too. The company's Zuri chatbot, powered by AI, answers questions 24/7 and solves most problems on first contact. Another tool called Idea-to-Cash uses natural language processing to create new financial products in minutes instead of weeks.

Safaricom isn't keeping this success to itself. Through its Spark Accelerator program, the company helps Kenyan startups grow by sharing technology, funding, and access to its 35 million users. The Daraja 3.0 APIs let developers build new services on top of M-Pesa's platform.

The infrastructure investment includes East Africa's first AI-ready data center, built in partnership with iXAfrica. The facility in Nairobi handles heavy computing workloads while keeping data local, which means faster service and better privacy for users.

The Ripple Effect

This transformation reaches far beyond convenient payments. When people can invest with just one share, wealth building becomes possible for families who were locked out of financial markets. When fraud detection works in real time, trust grows and more people feel safe going digital.

Small business owners can now accept payments, manage inventory, and even invest profits without visiting a bank. Students can receive money from parents instantly. Farmers can buy supplies and sell crops through their phones.

Safaricom's model shows what's possible when technology meets real community needs. Africa's digital economy is projected to hit $712 billion by 2050, and Kenya is leading the way.

Thirty-five million people now carry a bank, investment platform, and business tool in their pockets, proving that financial inclusion isn't just about access but about creating opportunities that lift entire communities forward.