Safaricom, PayPal Collaboration: Linking M-PESA and PayPal Accounts
Safaricom has announced a collaboration with PayPal and TranferTo that will allow M-PESA users to link their M-PESA and PayPal accounts making international ecommerce easier.
Qualifying M-PESA customers in Kenya can link their PayPal accounts to their M-PESA wallets, enabling them to easily and securely buy goods and services from merchants around the globe. Similarly, the new service will give Kenyan merchants the opportunity to boost their reach and grow their business internationally.
“M-PESA’s collaboration with PayPal will open up global market places and the global economy to millions of Kenyan and Kenyan-based businesses and individuals. Beyond money transfers, this development ushers in a new era of speed and convenience beyond borders, as we work towards innovating robust platforms through which more entrepreneurs and consumers can benefit from the growing eCommerce industry”, said Joseph Ogutu, Director – Strategy, Safaricom.
The service enables M-PESA customers to top-up their PayPal accounts as well as transfer funds from their PayPal account to their M-PESA wallet. You need to have registered PayPal and M-PESA accounts which need to be linked. Charges for using the service include: For withdrawal – 3% of the amount converted from USD to KES while for top up – 4% of the amount you are sending to your PayPal account. Normal M-PESA charges apply for all other transactions. The funds will be processed to your M-PESA account in 2 hours to 3 calendar days after transaction confirmation depending on the value of the transaction. For maximum amount one can withdraw or top up, the current M-PESA transaction limits apply (Kes. 70,000 per transaction and Kes. 140,000 per day.)
“PayPal’s collaboration with M-PESA is part of the company’s long-term strategy to enable e-commerce and democratise financial services on the African continent,” says Efi Dahan, PayPal General Manager for the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.
“We are exc?ted to br?ng the M-PESA mobile wallet and PayPal joint services to the Kenyan market, which makes it more convenient and secure to withdraw and add money to their accounts while participating in the global digital economy,” said Dahan.
“We are proud to have been chosen by these two world-class payments providers to bridge the gap between the services offered in developed countries with those available in emerging markets – which is the cornerstone of TransferTo’s mission,” said Peter De Caluwe, CEO at TransferTo.
“This service is a major milestone in the evolution of cross-border mobile payments, in that TransferTo’s technology is creating a fundamental link between M-PESA users in Kenya and PayPal’s global network, and seamlessly connecting Kenyan shoppers and businesses to the global eCommerce world,” said De Caluwe.
To qualify your accounts and transact between the two services, visit the M-PESA PayPal portal on https://www.paypal-mobilemoney.com/m-pesa.