Nairobi, February 24th, 2026 – Kenya’s payments ecosystem is entering a new phase, driven by the need for faster settlement, greater interoperability, and infrastructure that can support increasingly complex domestic and cross-border transactions. These issues took centre stage at a media roundtable convened by Verto in Nairobi, bringing together industry players to reflect on how the country’s payments rails must evolve to keep pace with business and consumer demands.
Over the past decade, Kenya has built a reputation as a digital payments leader, largely on the back of mobile money adoption. However, as trade volumes grow and businesses expand across borders, stakeholders say the existing infrastructure must move beyond basic transfers to support real-time payments, improved transparency, and seamless integration across platforms.
Speaking during the discussion, Mark Mwaniki, Director of Sales – Kenya at Verto, said the next phase of Kenya’s payment infrastructure will be defined by how well it supports businesses operating at scale.
“Kenya has proven what is possible when innovation meets strong demand, but the conversation now needs to shift to infrastructure,” Mwaniki said. “Businesses want payments that move as fast as their operations do. That means fewer intermediaries, clearer pricing, and systems that can handle both local and cross-border transactions without friction.”
Participants noted that while consumers have benefited significantly from digital payments, many small and medium-sized enterprises still face challenges when moving money across borders, managing foreign exchange, or reconciling payments across multiple channels. These gaps, they argued, increase costs and slow down growth, particularly for companies trading within Africa and beyond.
Mwaniki observed that infrastructure players have a role to play in simplifying these processes by building systems that connect local payment methods with global networks. “The future is not about replacing what already works,” he said. “It’s about connecting systems in a way that allows money to move efficiently, securely, and transparently, whether it’s within Kenya or across multiple markets.”
The roundtable also explored the importance of collaboration between regulators, financial institutions, fintechs, and infrastructure providers. Speakers agreed that regulatory clarity and open dialogue would be critical in supporting innovation while safeguarding the stability of the financial system.
As Kenya positions itself as a regional business hub, the reliability of its payments infrastructure is increasingly seen as a competitive advantage. Industry players at the forum stressed that continued investment in back-end systems, rather than just consumer-facing products, will be key to sustaining growth.
“Payments are no longer just a support function,” Mwaniki said. “They are a strategic enabler for trade, investment, and economic inclusion. Getting the infrastructure right is what will determine how far Kenya can go in the next phase of its digital economy.”
The discussion underscored a growing consensus that while Kenya’s digital payments journey is far from complete, the focus is shifting from innovation at the edges to strengthening the core systems that move money every day.
