M-PESA is the mobile money wallet operated by Safaricom Ethiopia. It lets you hold money on your phone, send and receive payments, pay bills and merchants, buy airtime and data, and withdraw cash at agents. M-PESA has been a leading mobile money service in Kenya for years, and Safaricom brought it to Ethiopia as part of its entry into the market.
How It Has Grown in Ethiopia
M-PESA has expanded quickly in Ethiopia. Safaricom reported that M-PESA reached about 5.2 million active users in the quarter ending December 2025, a large jump from the year before, while its overall Ethiopian subscriber base passed 12 million. This growth has made M-PESA a real alternative to bank-backed and telecom-backed wallets.
How You Use It
You can use M-PESA through the mobile app on a smartphone or through a USSD short code on a basic phone. You do not need a traditional bank account to open an M-PESA wallet, which lowers the barrier for people who are new to formal financial services. You cash in and cash out through a network of authorized agents.
Receiving Money From Abroad
One important feature is international remittances. M-PESA users in Ethiopia can receive money sent from abroad directly into their wallet. To support this, Safaricom's M-PESA works with Dashen Bank and a remittance platform called CashGo, where Dashen serves as the settlement and acquiring bank and CashGo provides the transfer platform. Recipients can then send money, pay merchants and bills, buy airtime and data, or withdraw cash at agents.
Senders abroad can transfer from regions including North America, the United Kingdom, other parts of Africa, and the Middle East, depending on the corridors supported at the time. Because supported countries and fees change, confirm the details with your sender and compare providers on Send Money before each transfer.
How It Differs From Bank Wallets
M-PESA is run by a telecom operator, not a bank. Like telebirr, it lets you open a wallet with a phone number and no bank account. Bank wallets such as CBE Birr or the Dashen Super App are tied to a full bank account and give you access to more banking services. Many people use a telecom or operator wallet for quick payments and a bank app for savings and larger transactions.
Is It Right for You
M-PESA suits people who want a simple wallet they can open without a bank account, who value a growing agent network, and whose family abroad can send through an M-PESA remittance partner. Compare the rate and fees against other options on Send Money before you receive a large amount.
For current bank exchange rates, visit BirrValue.
This article is for informational purposes only. BirrValue does not provide financial advice. Features, supported countries, and fees can change, so confirm details with Safaricom Ethiopia.