M-Pesa review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
M-Pesa suits M-Pesa customers in Kenya who want a savings balance and a short-term credit line handled in a single phone menu. The credit line runs to KES 1 to KES 70,000, funding is Immediate at transaction time, and the savings rate of 2% to 5% comes with a monthly fee of KES 0.
Key facts
- Best for
- Kenyan M-Pesa customers who want an easy access savings balance and a mobile credit line in a single menu.
- Headline rate
- 2% to 5%↗
- Rate type
- Variable↗
- Minimum deposit
- KES 1↗
- Access terms
- Electronic only, operated via the M-Shwari Menu on the M-PESA system; no branch access↗
- Monthly fee
- KES 0↗
- Account kind
- Easy access↗
- Legal entity
- NCBA Bank Kenya Plc↗
- Headquarters
- Kenya↗
- Support channels
- Phone, Email, Chat, Help-centre↗
- Pricing model
- No monthly fee
- Official website
- safaricom.co.ke
Loans
- Loan amount
- KES 1 to KES 70,000↗
- Arrangement fee
- 1% one-off access fee; daily maintenance fee KSh 0-25 per day plus 20% excise duty↗
- Funding time
- Immediate at transaction time↗
- Lender type
- Direct lender↗
- Free early repayment
- Yes↗
- Eligibility
- M-PESA customer with an active Safaricom line, registered on national ID, Kenyan passport or Military ID, active on the network at least 6 months; foreign passport registrations cannot opt in↗
- Origination fee (%)
- 1%↗
- Loan types
- Credit-line, Payday↗
- Features
- Credit line
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources
Pros and cons
Pros
- Funding on the credit line is Immediate at transaction time, so a draw can be used straight away.
- The savings account charges a monthly fee of KES 0 and takes a minimum deposit of KES 1.
- Early repayment is free, so a short loan cleared quickly costs less.
- The savings account pays 2% to 5% at a variable rate.
Cons
- Access is electronic only and runs through the M-Shwari Menu on the M-PESA system, so the savings account and the credit line both work from a phone menu.
- Every draw on the credit line carries an access fee of 1% plus a daily maintenance fee with excise duty, so small short loans pay the most.
- Signing up needs an active Safaricom line, an accepted Kenyan identity document and a waiting period on the network, and a foreign passport cannot be used to register.
Who it suits
- M-Pesa customers in Kenya who want savings and a short-term credit line handled in a single phone menu.
- Borrowers covering a small gap, since Fuliza offers a credit line and a payday loan of KES 1 to KES 70,000.
- People who clear balances early, since early repayment is free and support runs on phone, email and chat.
Who should look elsewhere
- Wise pays 3.29% on balances held in many currencies, which suits money kept outside a Kenyan phone account.
- bunq is an online bank paying 3.01%, a better fit for a web account than a Safaricom menu.
- Finteres runs a headline rate of 0% to 36% for business accounts, so it serves a company balance rather than a personal one.
Fees and currency costs
The savings account carries a monthly fee of KES 0, so holding a balance costs nothing each month, and the minimum deposit is KES 1, so a balance can start at a very small sum. A saver who adds money in small amounts pays nothing to run the account, which suits small, irregular incomes.
How M-Pesa compares
Where M-Pesa is available
- Available
- Kenya
- Licence in Kenya
- Central Bank of Kenya, checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What rate does the savings side pay, and is it fixed?+
The savings account pays 2% to 5% at a variable rate and works as an easy access account. A variable rate can move, so the return can change as the account runs, which matters if the balance may be needed without warning.
What does it cost to keep money in the account?+
The savings account carries a monthly fee of KES 0 and a minimum deposit of KES 1, so running a balance costs nothing each month and the entry sum is small. Small, irregular top-ups suit a saver paid often.
How much can be borrowed, and what types are there?+
Fuliza is a direct lender offering a credit line and a payday loan, with borrowing running to KES 1 to KES 70,000. That ceiling suits a short gap such as a bill or a stock purchase rather than a large expense.
How fast does borrowed money arrive?+
Funding on the credit line is Immediate at transaction time, so the money lands while the transaction runs and can be spent straight away. That suits a bill or a stock purchase that cannot wait for a bank transfer, and the facility sits on the same menu as the savings account.
What fees come with borrowing?+
Each draw carries an access fee of 1%, and a daily maintenance fee is charged on the balance with excise duty applied on top. Early repayment is free, so a loan cleared quickly costs less than a loan run to the end of its term.
Who can sign up?+
The product is listed as KE and open to M-Pesa customers who keep an active Safaricom line and have been on the network for a waiting period. Sign up needs an accepted identity document such as a national or military ID, and a foreign passport cannot be used to register.
Who runs the account and who regulates it?+
The account is run by NCBA Bank Kenya Plc, based in Kenya, and the regulator is the Central Bank of Kenya. The savings account and the credit line sit with the same bank entity, so both sets of terms come from a single provider.
How do I reach help?+
Support runs on phone, email and chat, so a call, an email, a chat line and a help centre are ways to reach the provider. The account is electronic only and operated through the M-Shwari Menu on the M-PESA system, so those channels cover what a branch would.
Sources
- safaricom.co.ke/main-m-pesa/m-pesa-services/credit-and-sa... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Eligibility, Features, Lender type, Loan types, Arrangement fee, Origination fee (%)
“M-PESA customers registered using their national ID/Kenyan passport/Military ID can activate Fuliza ... M-PESA accounts registered using Foreign passport cannot successfully opt-in to Fuliza.”
- safaricom.co.ke/main-mpesa/m-pesa-for-you/tariffs-limits/... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Prepay customers: Dial 100, Post-pay customers: Dial 200, Email, WhatsApp support: Chat with Zuri on 0722 000100”
- safaricom.co.ke/main-mpesa/m-pesa-services/credit-and-sav... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Minimum deposit, Monthly fee
“Save as little as Kshs. 1, and access credit from Kshs. 1,000”
- safaricom.co.ke/media-center-landing/frequently-asked-que... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Loan amount, Free early repayment, Funding time
“What is the minimum and maximum amount I can send using Fuliza M-PESA? M-PESA limits apply as below; Transaction limits 1- 70,000/=”
- safaricom.co.ke/media-center-landing/frequently-asked-que... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Account kind, Headline rate, Pricing model, Rate type
“You can withdraw as many times as you like at NO charge”
- safaricom.co.ke/media-center-landing/terms-and-conditions... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Access terms, Headquarters, Legal entity, Licences
“the Bank offers the MShwari Account only electronically and you agree to do business with the Bank and to operate the M-Shwari Account only by electronic means via the M-Shwari Menu on the M-PESA...”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Term, Deposit protection.
Related by the facts
M-Pesa
Kenyan M-Pesa customers who want an easy access savings balance and a mobile credit line in a single menu.