M-Pesa wins over Google Play store

Global mobile commerce enabler, DOCOMO Digital has partnered with Safaricom to give customers the option to pay for content on the Google Play Store using M-PESA. The integration, which is powered by DOCOMO Digital’s mobile commerce enabling platform using Google Play’s payment system, allows M-PESA customers to pay for goods and services from the app store.

The service is available to more than 27 million M-PESA customers in Kenya with an Android smartphone or tablet. Customers can purchase content and products from the Google Play Store and pay for them using M-PESA. The solution combines Google Play with the M-PESA payment service.

Hiroyuki Sato, CEO of DOCOMO Digital, said one of its biggest goals is to break down barriers and develop ways in which the 5 billion global adult population can engage with the digital ecosystem. “First steps like this are absolutely essential on the journey to connecting consumers, merchants, operators and service providers together to create a fair and inclusive ecosystem for everybody,” he said.

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Mr Joseph Ogutu, Director of Strategy, Safaricom, said such partnerships have been instrumental in deepening the convenience and value of M-PESA. “Today’s partnership will empower our customers to access Google Play content and further underlines our commitment to providing more choice and convenience to them,” he said.

“We are thrilled to partner with Safaricom to bring Google Play carrier billing to Kenya,” said Mr Mahir Sahin, Head of Africa, Android Partnerships, Google. “M-PESA has successfully demonstrated how important it is to offer financial services to the unbanked and deliver financial inclusion. Carrier billing is very important to the developer ecosystem in markets where credit card penetration is low.  With this partnership M-PESA will play a critical role in  the app ecosystem.”

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