African mobile money’s expansion into Western exchange
A company with humble beginnings as a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, Airtel Money launched in 2011.
It now serves about 53 million monthly active users across 13 African countries with a network which relies on more than 2.3 million local agents, allowing for customers to deposit and withdraw cash without visiting a bank branch.
Mobile money grew up to serve Africans left outside the formal banking system; all a customer needs is a basic phone, with no bank account, credit history or nearby branch required.
Beyond helping the underbanked population, Airtel Money offers payments, credit, savings, insurance and virtual debit cards, bringing everyday financial products within reach of people without a bank account.
The scale is significant. Mobile money operators in sub-Saharan Africa processed US$1.4tn in transactions in 2025, 66% of the global total, according to the GSMA.
Such growth is an example of how a company with financial inclusion at its heart can scale enough to support a multi-billion-dollar listing in one of the world’s main financial centres.