Stablecoin companies are pitching Kenya as a place where dollar-pegged tokens could run behind mobile money. M-Pesa Africa has signed a blockchain infrastructure deal. Mastercard and Yellow Card are piloting stablecoin payments in Kenya and four other markets. But no confirmation turned up that a stablecoin remittance service is live inside M-Pesa today.
Can I receive stablecoin remittances in M-Pesa today?
No live service is confirmed. Announcements exist, but none of the sources shows a working stablecoin remittance product on M-Pesa.
Techweez (September 15, 2026) covers Movement, a blockchain company focused on stablecoin settlement, and Yellow Card, a stablecoin infrastructure firm with Kenyan operations. The article uses an M-Pesa example as a hypothetical: a user sends shillings from an M-Pesa wallet and a stablecoin moves the value so a relative abroad receives foreign currency. It says Movement’s path into Kenya would likely run through partnerships with banks, fintechs, and mobile-money platforms. It names no such partner and does not say whether anything is live.
Movement CEO Torab Torabi is quoted: “We are not in the crypto business. We’re in the blockchain business.” Yellow Card’s Florence Githinji said that settling an invoice in stablecoins “collapses the wait to near-instant.” That comment concerns business payments, not family remittances.
Is Safaricom involved?
The Techweez article does not mention Safaricom. M-Pesa Africa signed a separate infrastructure deal with ADI Foundation. Neither source describes a stablecoin remittance launch.
What has actually been announced?
| Item | What was announced | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mastercard and Yellow Card | Stablecoin pilots in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the UAE, covering remittances, B2B settlement, loyalty, and treasury | Pilot, “will explore” | Electronic Payments International, May 8, 2026 |
| M-Pesa Africa and ADI Foundation | Deal to roll out blockchain infrastructure in Kenya and seven other African markets | Signed, no timeline given | Business Daily, Jan 11, 2026 |
The Mastercard and Yellow Card announcement says the companies will explore use cases and gives no cost figures. The Business Daily report did not name a stablecoin or explain how payments would work.
Why It Matters to You
If your family sends or receives money through M-Pesa, the hope is cheaper and faster transfers from abroad. Right now that is an aim, not a product: the ADI deal and the Mastercard pilot are announcements, and neither shows results for Kenyan families. The people most likely to feel any change first are businesses settling invoices, since that is the use Yellow Card’s comment describes.
Would it actually be cheaper?
Unknown. No source gives a fee for any stablecoin transfer into M-Pesa, so claims that fees “drop” are untested. For context, the World Bank global average for sending $200 is 6.36% (third quarter 2025). The latest Sub-Saharan Africa figure available here is 7.9% for the second quarter of 2023, as reported by BusinessDay. It is old, so check the World Bank site for current data.
What do Kenya’s rules say?
Techweez reports that Kenya’s Virtual Asset Service Providers Act, 2025 is the governing law. Regulations issued in 2026 add licensing plus capital and reserve requirements for stablecoin issuers. Reserves must be held in cash, bank deposits, or short-term government securities. This summary comes from Techweez, not the regulations themselves. Rules on paper do not guarantee that a provider follows them, so check that a provider is licensed.
Are stablecoin transfers safe?
They carry risks. Stablecoins can lose their dollar peg. Issuers, exchanges, and custodians can fail. Balances are not covered by deposit insurance. Converting to shillings can carry spreads and fees, and Kenyan rules may change. Use licensed providers and send small test amounts first. This is general information, not financial advice.
Sources
- Techweez: Stablecoins infrastructure Kenya (Sep 15, 2026)
- Electronic Payments International: Mastercard, Yellow Card pilot stablecoin payment (May 8, 2026)
- Business Daily: M-Pesa, UAE firm ink deal for stablecoin payments (Jan 11, 2026)
- BusinessDay: Nigeria, SSA peers record highest remittance costs for 15th straight year (Jan 1, 2024)
- World Bank: Remittance Prices Worldwide (accessed Oct 13, 2026)