Airtel to launch virtual card in Kenya, challenging Safaricom's M-PESA GlobalPay

Airtel Mobile Commerce N.V. is launching a Mastercard-powered virtual card (VCN) for Airtel Money wallets in Kenya, letting users pay for Amazon, Netflix and other global services without a bank account. The card takes on Safaricom's M-PESA GlobalPay, a virtual Visa launched in 2022 with Fuliza overdraft support.

• Airtel Money Global Pay is prepaid: users must fund the card before purchases
• M-PESA GlobalPay offers Fuliza overdraft when the wallet balance is short
• M-PESA's mobile money market share in Kenya fell to 88.8% in June 2026
• Airtel has issued over 875,000 virtual cards in Uganda, Zambia and Tanzania