Safaricom Migrates M-PESA App Users to My OneApp in Platform Consolidation Push

Why It Matters

A single, data‑rich platform strengthens Safaricom’s revenue per user while raising the competitive bar for Kenyan banks entering mobile payments.

Key Takeaways

• Over 10 million users targeted for single app migration
• Unified platform reduces engineering overhead and security complexity
• AI-driven prompts aim to boost user stickiness and ARPU
• Third‑party services enable platform tax and richer data capture
• Banks' upgraded apps intensify competition for mobile payments

Pulse Analysis

Safaricom’s decision to retire the legacy M‑PESA and mySafaricom apps reflects a broader shift in Africa’s mobile finance ecosystem. M‑PESA has long been the de‑facto payment rail in Kenya, but rising competition from banks such as Equity Group and KCB, which are investing heavily in user‑friendly mobile solutions, threatens its market share. By funneling all services through My OneApp, Safaricom not only simplifies the user journey but also creates a data moat that can be leveraged for cross‑selling and strategic partnerships, reinforcing its position as the continent’s leading fintech platform.

Technologically, My OneApp is built on a cloud‑native stack that can handle roughly 6,000 transactions per second, a significant upgrade over the fragmented legacy apps. The platform hosts more than 80 third‑party services—from transport bookings to health insurance—allowing Safaricom to collect a platform tax on each transaction. Machine‑learning algorithms surface predictive quick actions, turning routine payments into automated prompts, which improves user engagement and reduces friction. This architecture also consolidates API management, cutting operational costs and minimizing security risks associated with maintaining multiple codebases.

From a business perspective, the unified app is expected to lift average revenue per user by increasing stickiness and enabling richer data analytics. Real‑time insights into spending patterns open avenues for personalized financial products, such as the Ziidi money‑market fund and integrated share‑trading tools. Moreover, a single biometric login streamlines acquisition costs while bolstering compliance with Kenya’s evolving regulatory framework. As Safaricom pushes its FinTech 2.0 agenda toward a broader technology platform by 2030, My OneApp serves as the cornerstone for scaling services, attracting third‑party developers, and sustaining its fintech dominance in a rapidly converging market.