Kenya, July 24 -- Safaricom has added PayPal withdrawals to the M-PESA Super App. Kenyan users can now move PayPal funds directly to M-PESA without using a separate website. Safaricom has revolutionised digital payments by integrating M-PESA Super App PayPal withdrawals, allowing Kenyan users to transfer funds directly from PayPal to their M-PESA wallets without relying on a separate web portal.
Launched on July 23, 2025, this update streamlines access to global earnings for Kenya's 1.5 million freelancers, eliminating the delays and complexities of the previous browser-based process.
Powered by Thunes, the feature supports seamless transactions within the app, reinforcing Safaricom's dominance in Kenya's mobile money market, which processed Ksh 2.3 trillion ($17.83 billion) in 2024.
The integration marks a significant leap for Kenya's digital economy, where freelancers on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr rely heavily on PayPal for international payments.
Previously, users navigated a cumbersome web portal at paypal-mobilemoney.com, facing delays of up to three days. Now, the M-PESA Super App enables withdrawals in minutes to hours, with a 3% currency conversion fee for USD to KES transactions.
Users must link their PayPal and M-PESA accounts, ensuring identical names to avoid errors, and access the "PayPal" option under the app's Finance or Global Services section.
Safaricom advises using the latest app version to prevent scams, emphasising security via biometric authentication or PIN.
Kenya's freelance economy, contributing to the nation's $4 billion annual mobile money transactions, benefits immensely from this update. The M-PESA Super App, downloaded 13.7 million times with 4.7 million active users, supports wallets holding up to Ksh 500,000, with a single transaction limit of Ksh 250,000 and a daily cap of Ksh 500,000.
For freelancers earning Ksh 1,000-10,000 per task, this means faster liquidity for local expenses like bills or Pochi la Biashara payments.
Unlike Equity Bank's instant PayPal withdrawal service, which supports up to $10,000 per transaction, M-PESA's app-based solution prioritises convenience for smaller sums, competing with alternatives like Wise and Payoneer.
Safaricom's mobile money revenue, reaching Ksh 161.1 billion ($1.25 billion) for the year ending March 2025, reflects a 15.2% growth, driven by a 20.3% increase in chargeable transactions (averaging 37.92 per user monthly) and a 10.5% rise in active users to 35.82 million.
The PayPal integration, alongside features like M-PESA Global for international transfers and QR code payments, strengthens the app's role as a financial ecosystem.
Customers hailed the move as a "game-changer for freelancers," while speculating it could draw more Kenyans into the formal forex market.
However, I noted past frustrations with PayPal's limited local support.
Challenges persist, including name-mismatch errors during account linking and a lack of dedicated PayPal support in Kenya. IntaSend, a local alternative, offers lower fees (3.5% for registered businesses) and faster payouts, appealing to freelancers wary of PayPal's account limitations.
Despite this, PayPal's global trust and M-PESA's 299,000-agent network ensure the service's dominance.
The partnership with Thunes guarantees compliance with Kenya's Data Protection Act, addressing privacy concerns raised on social media.
Online trends show surging searches for "M-PESA Super App PayPal withdrawals" and "Kenya freelance payment solutions 2025," reflecting interest from Nairobi to the diaspora.
Safaricom's strategic move aligns with its 25th-anniversary celebrations, marking 50 million network customers. The M-PESA Super App, with features like My Spend for tracking expenses and e-receipts for transactions, caters to Kenya's tech-savvy youth and micro-merchants.
Critics, however, highlight the 3% withdrawal fee and 4% top-up fee as potential burdens for low-income users, especially amid Kenya's 7.5% GDP budget deficit.
As the digital economy grows, with M-PESA contributing 43.4% of Safaricom's revenue, this update positions the app as a rival to global platforms like Flutterwave, empowering freelancers and small businesses to thrive in Kenya's competitive market.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.