A new TransUnion report reveals a significant surge in digital fraud in Kenya, with fraudsters aggressively targeting new account sign-ups and the gaming sector. Kenya faces a higher fraud risk compared to global averages, with methods becoming increasingly sophisticated, including AI-driven impersonation.

• 4.4 percent of all new online account creation attempts in Kenya in H1 2025 were flagged as suspected fraud.
• Amritha Reddy, senior director of fraud product management at TransUnion Africa, emphasized the need for businesses to adopt proactive, layered defenses.
• The gaming sector recorded the highest suspected fraud rate at 10.4 percent, with a **49 percent** increase in volume year-over-year.
• 81 percent of Kenyans reported being targeted by fraud schemes, with "vishing" being the most common type, affecting 46 percent.

Safaricom has announced the end of M-PESA service downtimes for maintenance thanks to its new Fintech 2.0 platform. This upgrade transitions M-PESA to an "always-on" service, eliminating disruptions previously caused by scheduled system maintenance.

• The Fintech 2.0 upgrade employs a microservices-based architecture, allowing individual components to be updated without affecting the entire platform.
• Dr. Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom Group CEO, stated M-PESA will "never be shut for repair or for maintenance" again.
• The new system is designed to handle surging transaction volumes and support future innovations like tap-to-pay and AI-powered fraud detection, ensuring 24/7 reliability for its users across Kenya and Ethiopia.

M-PESA is undergoing a major "Fintech 2.0" upgrade, introducing features like tap-to-pay, wallet sharing, and AI-powered fraud detection. This significant revamp aims to meet modern digital economy demands and enhance both convenience and security for users.

• The upgrade, dubbed "Fintech 2.0," promises "more speeds, more capacity, therefore more resilience."
• Safaricom Group CEO Dr. Peter Ndegwa confirmed the rollout, emphasizing a complete architectural overhaul.
• New features include native tap to pay, enabling users to grant transactional access to their M-PESA funds, and a bill-splitting functionality.
• The platform will integrate AI for proactive fraud detection, strengthening security against sophisticated scams like SIM swap fraud.