Mobile Money
Mobile money is a phone-number-based payment system (M-Pesa, MTN MoMo, Airtel Money) that serves as the primary deposit rail in much of Africa.
What it means
Mobile money lets users hold and transfer value tied to a phone number, without a bank account or card. Agents handle cash-in and cash-out; transfers, merchant payments and deposits run over USSD or an app. M-Pesa in Kenya, MTN Mobile Money and Airtel Money across West and East Africa process a large share of consumer payments in their markets — for many players it's not an alternative payment method, it's the only one.
Why it matters for operators
In markets like Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania, an operator without mobile money integration effectively has no deposit flow. Integration is market-by-market work: each wallet has its own API, settlement currency, fee structure and regulatory registration, and payouts (not just deposits) must work reliably because withdrawal speed drives retention. Aggregators reduce the integration burden but add margin, and reconciliation across wallets remains the operational headache.
Example
A sportsbook entering Kenya integrates M-Pesa via a local PSP. Deposits confirm in seconds over USSD — no card forms, no bank redirects — and same-day withdrawals to the same wallet become the brand's main marketing claim against slower competitors.