Airtel Money is preparing to roll out a customized overdraft facility in Kenya, aimed at enabling customers to complete mobile money transactions even with insufficient funds, intensifying competition in the digital credit market dominated by Safaricom’s Fuliza.
Anne Kinuthia-Otieno, Managing Director of Airtel Money Kenya, confirmed that the initiative stems from extensive customer data analysis, feedback and internal research aimed at understanding behavioral patterns that lead to failed transactions due to low wallet balances.
“We understand and we use a lot of data to then see that [some] customers are trying to complete a transaction but are not able to because they have insufficient funds in their wallet,” the Airtel Money Managing Director says.
The planned overdraft facility seeks to minimize these friction points and improve the reliability of mobile money transactions across the network.
Mobile money services have become deeply ingrained in Kenya’s financial landscape, offering convenient peer-to-peer transfers, bill payments, airtime purchases and more.
However, when users lack sufficient funds in their wallets, many transactions, from essential payments to everyday transfers fail. Airtel Money’s proposed overdraft solution is intended to bridge this gap, enabling users to
“There is no need to say that I cannot complete a transaction because I do not have the transaction fees. Or maybe when you are making a payment, you do not have enough money to make that payment. That is why we are actually working on bringing this overdraft solution,” said Anne.
The service will complement existing microcredit options already integrated into the Airtel Money platform.
Currently, Airtel Money integrates micro-lending services that allow credit access for subscribers active on the platform for at least six months, but these do not automatically address payment shortfalls during transactions.
Airtel Money’s planned service enters a competitive digital credit environment already shaped by Safaricom’s Fuliza, a well-established overdraft product underwritten by NCBA Bank and KCB Bank Kenya.
Fuliza permits users to continue transactions despite insufficient funds, effectively functioning as a mobile overdraft integrated with M-PESA, Kenya’s dominant mobile money platform.
In the six months leading up to September 2025, Fuliza recorded borrowing volumes of approximately KSh 629 billion and a user base exceeding 9 million, underscoring the deep penetration and reliance upon instant credit in everyday mobile finance.
Airtel Money’s entry is therefore significant, deliberately structured to provide alternatives that cater to users seeking seamless transaction experiences without interruption.
The new overdraft will sit alongside other mobile credit options in Kenya’s fintech space, including bank-backed facilities such as Co-operative Bank’s Kamilisha and Equity Bank’s Boostika, which have similarly targeted unmet demand for micro-credit in mobile wallets.
Beyond competition, Airtel Money positions the overdraft service as part of a broader financial inclusion strategy.
Mobile credit services can act as critical tools for bridging liquidity gaps among unbanked and underbanked populations, empowering small businesses and individuals to make urgent or unplanned payments without resorting to informal lending channels.
Across Africa, telcos with mobile money platforms have increasingly introduced overdraft and micro-loan facilities, from Zambia’s Fikiliza, launched in partnership with NATSAVE, to agent-focused credit products demonstrating a trend toward embedding credit within digital wallets to support everyday economic activity.
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