Safaricom has reported growth in the number of Kenyans using its Fuliza overdraft service and Pochi la Biashara platform compared to ever before, with the company attributing the growth in Fuliza to improved access to credit, stronger portfolio recovery and affordability measures.
According to the company’s 2026 Annual Report, the number of distinct customers using Fuliza more than doubled to 18 million during the financial year ended March 2026.
“The number of distinct credit customers more than doubled to 18 million, driven by improved access to credit and accelerated growth in the second half of the year. This growth was further supported by the recovery of the credit portfolio and measures implemented to enhance affordability,” Safaricom said in the report.
Safaricom said customer growth accelerated in the second half of the financial year, driven by improved access to credit.
The company also attributed the performance to the recovery of its credit portfolio and measures implemented to enhance affordability, and the increased customer uptake translated into stronger financial performance.
The report shows that Fuliza’s credit portfolio grew by 20.6 per cent to KSh9.8 billion, while revenue generated from the overdraft service rose by 46 per cent to KSh6 billion during the year.
The company said the performance reflected continued growth in the use of its digital credit services.
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Pochi Merchants Rise to 2.1 Million
Safaricom also reported strong growth in Pochi la Biashara, with the number of merchants using the service increasing by 81.5 per cent to 2.1 million.
The report did not specify the factors behind the increase in Pochi adoption but noted that the growth contributed to a significant expansion of the company’s merchant ecosystem.
During the same period, the number of Lipa na M-PESA merchants increased by 54.2 per cent to 1 million.
Combined, the two services helped grow Safaricom’s merchant ecosystem by 71.4 per cent to 3.1 million merchants.
The expansion also boosted revenues from merchant payments.
According to the report, merchant payments revenue increased by 35.8 per cent to KSh13.3 billion, accounting for 43.6 per cent of Business Payments revenue.
Revenue generated through Pochi la Biashara recorded even stronger growth, rising by 86 per cent to KSh4 billion during the financial year.
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Safaricom Records Strong Pochi Growth Among Small Businesses
Beyond the rapid growth in the number of merchants, Safaricom says Pochi la Biashara has become an important contributor to its merchant payments business as more informal traders embrace digital transactions.
The company reported that revenue generated through Pochi increased by 86 per cent to KSh4 billion during the financial year, reflecting higher transaction volumes on the platform.
Overall, merchant payments revenue rose by 35.8 per cent to KSh13.3 billion, accounting for 43.6 per cent of Safaricom’s Business Payments revenue.
“The merchant base expanded 71.0% to 3.1Mn, driven mainly by Pochi, which grew 81.5% to 2.1Mn, while Lipa na M-PESA merchants increased 54.2% to 1.0Mn. Assets under wealth management rose to KShs 21.0Bn on increased adoption of digital savings and investment propositions,” Safaricom stated.
The report also shows that M-PESA processed 17.1 billion micro-transactions during the year, representing 36.8 per cent of all transaction volumes, underscoring the growing importance of low-value digital payments across the platform.
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