M-Pesa Tap to Pay has launched in Tanzania, allowing customers to use Android phones for contactless payments at Visa-enabled terminals locally and internationally. The feature, introduced on March 17 through the M-Pesa SuperApp, is a collaboration between Vodacom Tanzania, M-Pesa Africa, Visa, and Paymentology.
The rollout marks a shift in how mobile money users transact, as it eliminates the need for physical cards and leverages existing smartphone infrastructure to expand digital payment options.
M-Pesa Tap to Pay enables phone-based payments
M-Pesa Tap to Pay works through the M-Pesa Visa Virtual Card, which allows users to tap their Android devices at any compatible point-of-sale terminal. Paymentology provides cloud-based issuer processing and tokenization, enabling secure contactless payments without additional hardware.
As a result, users can complete transactions using their phones alone, while merchants continue using existing Visa-enabled terminals.
M-Pesa Tap to Pay expands mobile money ecosystem
The launch of M-Pesa Tap to Pay comes as Tanzania’s mobile money sector continues to grow rapidly. According to available data, mobile money accounts reached 76.5 million by December 2025, up from 63.2 million a year earlier.
This growth reflects increasing adoption of digital financial services and supports the expansion of advanced payment features such as contactless transactions.
M-Pesa Tap to Pay backed by global partners
The service integrates multiple partners, each providing key infrastructure. Visa powers the payment network, while Paymentology handles transaction processing and security through tokenization. Vodacom Tanzania delivers the platform via the M-Pesa SuperApp.
“What began as a simple idea, giving M-Pesa customers the freedom to tap and pay anywhere using just their phones, is now a live reality,” said Epimack Mbeteni, M-Pesa Director at Vodacom Tanzania.
Paymentology also emphasized its role in enabling the system. “We’re proud to support Vodacom and M-Pesa, alongside Visa, with the issuer-processing capabilities that enable fast, secure, and next-generation payments for millions of people,” said Anna Porra, Chief Revenue Officer at Paymentology.
M-Pesa Tap to Pay builds on regional infrastructure
The feature builds on Paymentology’s existing operations in East Africa, where it has previously partnered with financial institutions such as DTB to streamline card issuance and expand fintech capabilities.
Consequently, the new service extends the company’s regional footprint and supports interoperability between mobile money and global payment networks.
M-Pesa Tap to Pay signals shift in payments
The introduction of M-Pesa Tap to Pay reflects a broader trend toward seamless, phone-based transactions in Africa’s digital economy. By combining mobile money with global card networks, the feature positions smartphones as primary payment tools.
The service is currently available to M-Pesa SuperApp users in Tanzania using Android devices, with further adoption likely as contactless payments gain traction across the region.
