Financial inclusion

  • Home 
  • Sustainability
  • Financial inclusion
Financial inclusion

Financial inclusion is key to driving equality and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa

Affordability

Affordability

Developing products and services that are tailored to the needs and income levels of the un- and under-banked population is crucial to our strategy. We provide our customers with transactional accounts enabling savings, payments, insurance and remittances, including foreign exchange facilities.
Accessibility

Accessibility

We continue to ensure that our products and services are where our customers are. We established a broad-based and easy-to-access fintech ecosystem and continue to deepen our distribution to create density.
Awareness

Awareness

We empower our customers with the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to use financial products in a responsible way.

In sub-Saharan Africa, mobile payments are the cheapest, safest and most efficient way of sending and receiving money

We’re advancing financial inclusion with Airtel Money across Africa. We focus on empowering communities, particularly women, through access to affordable financial products and services. Our aim is to meet the needs of the un- and under-banked population, fostering financial literacy.

Deepening our Airtel Money ecosystem build

By strengthening our distribution channels and increasing float availability, we continue to expand our mobile money services across our markets. Our network of Airtel Money agents reached 1.7 million, further embedding financial inclusion across our footprint.

Innovative products and services

Our focus remains on launching affordable and accessible lending products, insurance, savings and remittances, alongside virtual ‘card to wallet’ services – this plays a pivotal role in supporting financial inclusion. We continue to increase customer access to financial services by integrating with national payment systems in our markets.

Driving economic empowerment of women

Financial inclusion is a key driver of women’s economic empowerment, and we've expanded our focus on gender equality in financial services. As of 31 March 2025, 44.2% of Airtel Money customer base were women, demonstrating our unwavering commitment to bridging the digital gender divide in our markets.

Focus on strategic partnerships

Partnerships are critical to advancing our goals. We partner with large corporates and finance institutions, NGOs and other social bodies to enhance financial inclusion and promote on-the-ground financial literacy programmes.

44.6

million

Airtel Money customers as of 31 March 2025
26.8%

mobile money customer base penetration
$2.0

average revenue per user (ARPU)
$273

transaction value per customer per month
Financial inclusion in action

New merchant payment service for SMEs in Zambia

In September 2022, Airtel Zambia launched a new payment solution ‘Airtel Money pay’. This is a merchant wallet targeting the informal sector to help customers separate business and personal transactions who would otherwise require additional documentation to register for this service. The new payment solution effectively expands access to financial services for the unbanked, removing a layer of administration which constitutes a key impediment to financial inclusion, and increasing convenience for customers.

Find out more

New merchant payment service for SMEs in Zambia

In September 2022, Airtel Zambia launched a new payment solution ‘Airtel Money pay’. This is a merchant wallet targeting the informal sector to help customers separate business and personal transactions who would otherwise require additional documentation to register for this service. The new payment solution effectively expands access to financial services for the unbanked, removing a layer of administration which constitutes a key impediment to financial inclusion, and increasing convenience for customers.

Speaking at the launch of this new product, Mr. Felix Mutati, Minister of Technology and Science, noted the Zambian government’s awareness of the role that mobile money plays in the economy – and further acknowledged this year’s projection that mobile money transactions would exceed K200 billion. This development will help to drive liquidity in the economy and reduce the cost of money, thus generating investment opportunities in Zambia and encouraging economic growth.

Close