Finding ways to send and receive money from
loved ones and friends has always been a major part of everyone’s lives, and
over a long period of time people around the globe have been looking for
affordable and secure means to do so in a matter of seconds. In comes the
M-Pesa revolution, and suddenly sending and receiving money has never been
easier.
Essentially, M-Pesa is a mobile phone-based
money transfer service that allows clients and customers to deposit money into
an account stored on their cell phones, send balances using PIN-secured text
messages to other users, including sellers of goods and services, and to redeem
deposits for regular money. Basically, M-Pesa allows one to send and receive
money, within a matter of seconds, using a mobile phone in Kenya. This service
was launched in 2007 by Vodaphone for Safaricom and Vodacom, the largest mobile
network operators in Kenya and Tanzania, and has spread quickly to become the
most successful mobile-phone-based financial service in the developing world.
But the revolution has not stopped there.
One can now send money to Kenya via M-Pesa from Canada, USA, UK, Europe, and
UAE, and Kenyans will receive the money in a matter of seconds. Moreover, it
does not cost the recipient a thing when you send them money via M-Pesa. This
mobile-enabled money transfer service is possible through the partnership of
Safaricom with a number of money transfer services such as KenyaPesa, MoneyGram,
Western Union, and Xpress Money, among others.
Safaricom’s innovative M-Pesa International
Money Transfer (IMT) service enables customers from across the globe, through
partners such as MoneyGram, to send money to their friends and loved ones in
Kenya within a matter of seconds, and with a network of more than 80,000 M-PESA
agent locations across Kenya, one can virtually cash out these international
transfers at the M-PESA agent next door.
So, what exactly is needed for the
transaction to occur and how does it work? All the recipient needs in order to
access the money sent via M-Pesa to Kenya is a mobile phone, and a Safaricom
number that is registered with M-Pesa. The sender however does not need to be a
registered M-Pesa user. Senders simply have to identify themselves to the agent and provide the recipient's name, Kenyan mobile number and
the amount being sent. Exchange rate conversion to Kenya Shillings is done at
the prevailing rate and the money is sent. Recipients are then sent a text
message within seconds, and can then collect the money from over 80,000 agents
around the country or use it to pay bills, purchase airtime or send money on to
other phones within the country.
Over time the M-Pesa IMT service has proven
extremely successful and although alternative methods of sending money still
work perfectly, M-Pesa remains the ultimate choice for most simply because it
is very timely and reliable. If, however the recipients of the money being sent
to M-Pesa from abroad is not a registered M-Pesa user, they receive and SMS
confirmation of the received funds and are asked to register within 21 days to
be able to access the funds. Additionally, and for any assistance on the use of
M-Pesa services, one can always call the toll-free number 100 or 0722002100.
All in all, sending money to Kenya via
M-Pesa remains one of the greatest innovations in the money transfer business,
and it’s just a matter of time before we can witness another revolution
allowing mobile phone users to send money abroad via M-Pesa from Kenya.