Airtel Africa has announced plans to list its Airtel Money unit to secure more capital as it seeks a top spot in the growing digital payments ecosystem across Africa, and ward off competition from other equally strong players such as MTN MoMo, Safaricom’s MPESA and other major fintechs.
The multinational disclosed its listing plans for Airtel Money set for 2026, according to a Reuters News Agency report published yesterday.
The announcement also coincides closely with MTN Group’s plans to spin-off its financial technology (Fintech) business from its listed company under MTN Uganda in the first half of this year.
The separation, which MTN Group chief executive officer Ralph Mupita told Bloomberg in March, is part of the requirements for a reorganisation in preparation for a $200 million (UGX 732.2 billion) capital investment by Mastercard in the company’s Fintech business, is more advanced in Uganda and Ghana, but remains behind schedule in Nigeria due to a complex regulatory landscape that requires additional processes before the separation is finalised.
Inside Uganda’s Property Market: Broll Uganda’s Moses Lutalo on Sector Realities and the Signals Investors Can’t IgnoreAirtel yesterday announced its profit after tax of USD 328 million for the first quarter of 2025, rebounding from its USD 89 million loss from the previous year within the same period.
The multinational operating in 14 markets indicated that the total customer base grew by 8.7% to 166.1 million, out of which 44.6 million were Airtel Money subscribers, backed by continued investment in the agent network.
Airtel Money’s transaction value increased by 34% in constant currency, reaching an annualised transaction value of USD 145 billion.
