Safaricom, Alibaba Unit Agree Mobile-Payments Partnership

  • Deal extends use of Safaricom payment platform outside Kenya
  • Mobile money accounts for about 30% of Safaricom revenue
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Safaricom Plc, Kenya’s biggest mobile operator, agreed a partnership with a unit of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. that will facilitate electronic payments.

The deal extends Safaricom customers’ ability to use its mobile-money service, known as M-Pesa, outside Kenya as the company looks to establish the system as a global platform. The firm has existing agreements with payments companies Western Union Co. and Paypal Holdings Inc.