Safaricom, Ant Financial enter online payment agreement

A client using a mobile money service M-Pesa. Safaricom has partnered with Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba, on using mobile payment service M-Pesa for online shopping. PHOTO | NMG 

In Summary

• Kenyans shopping on Aliexpress.com will be presented with M-Pesa as one of the payment options.

By HELLEN GITHAIGA
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Kenyans buying goods on China's online shopping site AliExpress can now pay for their purchases using M-Pesa, Safaricom said on Tuesday.

Kenya's telecom giant Safaricom has said it has partnered with Ant Financial, a fintech company and
an affiliate of Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce company.

“The move especially targets microtraders in the country who source for goods and other supplies from manufacturers in China,” Ms Sylvia Mulinge, Safaricom's chief customer officer said in a statement.

Kenyans shopping on Aliexpress.com will be presented with M-Pesa as one of the payment options when checking out their shopping cart on the app or website.

"We believe that the mobile phone has the ability to pull down some barriers to trade by enabling global e-commerce, and this partnership with Ant Financial Services marks yet another important milestone not just in Safaricom’s efforts to take M-Pesa beyond Kenya, but to Kenya’s participation in the international e-commerce marketplace,” said Ms Sylvia Mulinge, the chief customer officer.