Airtel Africa has reported strong half-year results, with its data business now surpassing voice as the largest revenue stream and its mobile money platform nearing $200 billion in annual transactions. This growth reflects a significant shift in consumer behavior and the company's strategic investments in digital infrastructure across Africa.

• Airtel Africa's mobile money transaction volumes reached $193 billion for the second quarter, a 36% year-on-year increase.
• The company's data revenue grew by 37%, driven by an 18% rise in data customers and an average usage of 8.2GB per month.
• Airtel Africa is constructing new hyperscale data centres in Nairobi's Tatu City (44MW) and Lagos (38MW), with the Nairobi facility set to be the largest in Eastern Africa by 2027.

M-PESA Ethiopia has integrated with EthSwitch, Ethiopia’s national payment network, enabling seamless money transfers between M-PESA wallets and 15 banks. This development connects M-PESA’s 10 million customers with the broader financial ecosystem.

• M-PESA Ethiopia now allows transfers to and from 15 banks via EthSwitch.
• The integration enables M-PESA users to send money to bank accounts and bank customers to send to M-PESA wallets.
• Participating banks include Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Amhara Bank, and Awash Bank.

dLocal has launched BNPL Fuse, the world’s first Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) aggregator designed for emerging markets. This platform aims to simplify flexible payments for merchants and expand access for consumers.

• BNPL Fuse enables merchants to reach over 500 million underbanked buyers across eight countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia through a single API and contract.
• According to dLocal, not offering BNPL options can result in as much as 66% of potential conversions being lost due to consumers lacking credit access.
• The platform acts as a unified access point to several regional BNPL providers, including Kueski, Pagaleve, Atome, Pareto, and Payflex, eliminating the need for merchants to manage multiple integrations and negotiations.