Vodacom Group has reported double-digit growth across key markets, expanding its customer base to over 223 million and financial services users to nearly 94 million.
The pan-African telco reported robust half-year results for the six months ended 30 September 2025, reflecting the company’s growing role in driving digital and financial inclusion across Africa.
Vodacom announced an 8.6% year-on-year surge in customers, with 93.7 million financial services customers, including those served by Safaricom.
Group revenue grew by 10.9% to R81.6 billion, while financial services revenue jumped 20.3% to R8.0 billion, contributing 12.2% to overall service revenue.
Shareholders were also left smiling all the way to the bank when headline earnings per share climbed 32.3% to 467 cents, supporting an interim dividend of 330 cents.
Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group, commended the company's performance as reflecting the telco's resilience and agility, as well as confirming the company's progress towards its Vision 2030 strategy.
“We delivered robust growth, evidenced by the normalised 13.6% increase in Group service revenue to R65.8 billion, tracking above our medium-term target of double-digit growth. These results showcase the underlying health of the business, supported by disciplined execution and a healthy balance sheet,” he said.
Joosub revealed that Vodacom continues to diversify beyond mobile, with digital services, financial services, fixed broadband, and IoT now contributing 21.8% of group service revenue.
The telecoms company invested R9.4 billion in network infrastructure in the past six months and plans to spend R23 billion this financial year to strengthen connectivity across its markets across the continent.
In a move to enhance rural connectivity, Vodacom has inked strategic partnerships with Airtel Africa and Orange to expand 4G and 5G infrastructure across underserved regions.
“By leveraging existing infrastructure, these collaborations will improve connectivity, faster internet speeds and access to digital services for millions of Africans,” Joosub explained.
M-PESA, Africa’s largest mobile money platform, continues to anchor Vodacom’s fintech growth, processing over US$476.8 billion in transaction value in the past year.
Safaricom, part of the Vodacom family, saw M-PESA revenue rise 14%, with service revenue growing 11.1% and its customer base in Ethiopia nearly doubling to 11.1 million.
“Expanding financial inclusion is at the heart of our strategy. Our ambition is to grow our financial services customer base to 120 million by 2030, ensuring that digital and financial access reaches every corner of Africa,” stated Joosub.
From Egypt’s exceptional 42.3% service revenue growth to stable performance in South Africa and double-digit gains across DRC, Lesotho, and Tanzania, Vodacom’s African footprint continues to deliver strong momentum.
“Our purpose-led approach, empowering people, protecting the planet, and maintaining trust, positions us well to capture Africa’s structural growth opportunity and deliver sustainable value for all stakeholders,” Vodacom CEO added.
Share
