The revelation comes as the pioneer mobile money service M-Pesa celebrates 10 years since launch on March 6, 2007.
Top remittance-sending countries are the UK, Australia, US, Germany, Canada and Nordic countries.
Millions of Kenyans live abroad, with large communities in North America, Europe and Australia.
Kenyans living abroad are the largest senders of remittances to mobile money accounts, a new study shows.
WorldRemit, an online remittance service that allows subscribers to send money using computers, smartphones or tablets said: “Transfers to mobile money accounts make up 93 per cent of WorldRemit transactions to Kenya now — showing that Kenyans continue to be early adopters of innovative technology, even when abroad.”
The revelation comes as the pioneer mobile money service M-Pesa celebrates 10 years since launch on March 6, 2007. “Kenya is famed for leading Africa’s digital transformation, and today its Kenyans abroad who are at the forefront of digitising international money transfers,’’ WorldRemit founder and CEO Ismail Ahmed said.
“Most of our Kenyan customers use our mobile app, demonstrating the strong demand for convenience when sending to friends and family.”There are half a billion registered mobile money users worldwide. Dr Ahmed said WorldRemit customers now send more than 65,000 transfers to the country every month from the WorldRemit app and website with over 90 per cent going to M-Pesa.
WorldRemit’s service is available to senders in 50 countries and offers transfers to more than 120 destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the United States.
In January 2017, WorldRemit customers transferred more than $140m (Sh14 billion at annualised rate) to Kenya, making it one of the largest remittance companies serving the Kenyan diaspora.
Top remittance-sending countries are the UK, Australia, US, Germany, Canada and Nordic countries. Millions of Kenyans live abroad, with large communities in North America, Europe and Australia.
WorldRemit is now connected to over a fifth of all mobile money accounts at 112 million around the world. Some 74 per cent of all international remittances to mobile money accounts coming from money transfer operators are sent via WorldRemit.
