Airtel Money will leverage its partnership with African payments company Flutterwave to expand its services to Eastern and Southern Africa.

The partnership enables businesses integrating Flutterwave in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia to receive payments from Airtel Money customers and transact high volumes with Airtel Money’s proprietary Fintech platforms.

Airtel said the services will be available as soon as regulatory approval is secured within the various countries and once active, will potentially reach a 19.2-billion customer base within the regions.

According to the company, COVID-19 has triggered widespread adoption of mobile money services with the GSMA reporting a 12.7% increase in the number of registered global mobile money accounts in 2020.

Airtel said the partnership with Flutterwave is further response to the growing dominance of cashless societies across the Sub-Saharan region and increasing need for digital innovation.

Businesses have little choice but to embrace mobile money payments, the company added.

Airtel Mobile Commerce BV CEO Vimal Kumar Ambat said, “Airtel Money is committed to bridging the digital divide and enhancing financial and digital inclusion for millions of businesses across Sub-Saharan Africa. Our partnership with Flutterwave will help to empower even more customers through simple and accessible payments services, using the latest technologies that support business innovation and boost local economies.”

Flutterwave founder and CEO Olugbenga GB Agboola added: “Our business goal is to continue to support African businesses digitalise their payment methods and introduce them to a world of opportunities that come with digitalisation. We are excited to have partnered with Airtel Money to further advance local businesses payment methods which will allow them to increasingly provide more services to their customers, growing their customer base and revenue.”