Africa powers mobile money to $2-trillion milestone

Global mobile money transactions surpassed US$2-trillion in 2025, doubling in just four years, according to the GSMA’s latest State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money.

The mobile telecommunications industry body said it took 20 years for mobile money to reach its first trillion dollars in annual transaction value, but only four years to double that figure. Registered accounts reached 2.3 billion globally in 2025, growing by 268 million, while monthly active accounts rose 15% to 593 million – the strongest growth since 2021.

Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for most of the new registered and active accounts, reinforcing the region’s position as the epicentre of mobile money adoption.

However, the GSMA flagged persistent challenges. Nearly 75% of registered accounts remain inactive on a monthly basis, with fraud and transaction taxes in some countries encouraging users to revert to cash. A wide gender gap also persists: in seven out of 10 countries surveyed, women who own a mobile money account are less likely than men to have used it within the past month.

Regulation is playing an increasingly important role. More than 60% of mobile money providers said interoperability, know-your-customer and consumer protection regulations have supported their operations. But cross-border data transfer regulations remain a problem, with nearly a quarter of providers reporting they have hindered operations.

Core strategic pillar

The global figures underscore the scale of mobile money on the African continent, where operators such as MTN Group are investing heavily in fintech as a core strategic pillar. MTN’s MoMo platform alone processed more than half a trillion dollars in transactions in 2025 – representing roughly a quarter of the global total – with 69.5-million monthly active users across its markets.

Read: MTN’s mobile money machine

The GSMA report also found that the number of mobile money providers offering insurance increased by a third in 2025, while credit and savings products continue to expand. The industry body argued that mobile money’s role is extending beyond payments into broader financial services, and that digital financial literacy programmes are needed to support responsible growth.  – (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media