Airtel Africa has reported a stellar start to its 2025 financial year with profit after tax skyrocketing by 375% to $376 million for the half-year ended September 30, 2025.
Announcing the results yesterday, Group CEO Sunil Taldar, described the impressive performance as a clear testament to the growing power of data and fintech across the continent.
Results show that the telecom and fintech giant’s turnaround was fuelled by explosive growth in data consumption and mobile money usage, supported by improved currency performance in key markets such as Nigeria, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire. For the first time in its history, data revenue surpassed voice to become Airtel Africa’s largest revenue driver.
Data income rose 37% in constant currency to $1.16 billion, powered by an 18.4% increase in active data users to 78.1 million. Average monthly data usage hit 8.2GB per user, while smartphone penetration climbed to 46.8%, showing how Africans are rapidly embracing the digital lifestyle.
“Data is now the heartbeat of our business. We have made strategic investments to ensure superior connectivity for our customers, and this is translating directly into stronger financial performance,” said Taldar.
The telco’s Airtel Money platform reinforced the growing influence of fintechs on the bottom line when it also played a crucial role as the company’s profits quadrupled in six months.
The mobile money portal posted a 30.2% jump in revenue to $623 million and expanded its customer base by 20% to 49.8 million users. The platform’s annualised transaction value surged 36% to $193 billion, highlighting its growing dominance in Africa’s digital payments space.
“Airtel Money continues to gain momentum, with our customer base nearing 50 million and total processed value approaching $200 billion. This reflects our success in driving digital adoption and financial inclusion,” added Taldar.
He further confirmed that the telecoms giant’s preparations for Airtel Money’s planned IPO remain on track for the first half of 2026, as it evolves into a fully-fledged fintech powerhouse.
Across its 14 markets, Airtel Africa rolled out 2 350 new network sites and extended its fibre backbone beyond 81 000 kilometres, reinforcing its digital infrastructure for data and financial services.
The group’s EBITDA climbed 33% to $1.45 billion, while its margin expanded to 48.5%, driven by efficiency gains and reduced finance costs.
With data and fintech now anchoring Airtel Africa’s growth, the third-largest mobile operator in Africa says it will invest up to $900 million in FY2026 to accelerate its 4G, 5G and fintech expansion as it further transforms from a telco into a techco.
Share
