Payment option · East Africa

Accept M-Pesa payments

Accept M-Pesa from the wallet East Africa already uses. Automatic STK push with self-confirming orders, or the manual Paybill rail.

Runs on the same checkout as 56 crypto assets, the other bank rails, and cards. No processor account needed for the manual rail.

M-Pesa at a glance

Countries
Kenya, Tanzania
Currencies
KES
Mode
Automatic + manual
Buyer reference
Unique per order

What the buyer sees

The coordinates your checkout shows, with the exact field labels from the U.CASH Pay dashboard.

M-Pesa Paybill or Tillthe ID buyers pay
Bank nameyour bank or provider
Account holderthe receiving name

Plus a unique payment reference per order (B-XXXXXX) the buyer includes on the transfer; you match it in Payments with one click.

How to accept M-Pesa payments

From signup to settled order.

Step 01

Create your checkout

Sign up at U.CASH Pay and create a checkout that offers M-Pesa alongside cards and crypto.

Step 02

Choose your mode

Automatic: connect the Daraja credentials for STK push. Manual: publish the Paybill or Till number buyers should pay.

Step 03

Buyer approves on their phone

Automatic: the buyer's phone shows the payment prompt and one PIN confirms it. Manual: the buyer sends to your Paybill with the invoice's payment reference as the account number.

Step 04

Settle

Automatic orders complete on callback. Manual orders: match the reference in Payments and mark paid.

Fees and settlement

U.CASH charges nothing on the manual M-Pesa rail. The automatic STK-push flow prices per transaction and is shown before you confirm. Safaricom's own wallet fees apply to the sender.

Speed and settlement behavior

M-Pesa settles in the window its banking system keeps, and the two flow modes change what you wait on rather than the rail itself. Automatic flows raise the request in the buyer's app and confirm on the callback, so the order closes itself once the rail reports. Manual flows publish your coordinates, the buyer sends direct, and the unique payment reference per order closes the loop when you match it. Same rail, same settlement finality, different operational weight. Most merchants run both and let the buyer's habit decide, because the automatic flow earns its integration effort back exactly where buyers already live in the app.

The crypto alternative on the same checkout

The currencies M-Pesa settles, KES, also exist on-chain where peg families trade: settle the same corridor as a token, non-custodial, final on confirmation, at network fees instead of rail fees. Buyers choose their rail; your ledger sees the same currency either way. The operational difference worth planning around is reversal: the crypto leg settles finally with no dispute window, which suits invoices and known customers, while the traditional rails keep the protections and processes their buyers expect.

Automatic or manual

Automatic

The processor integration raises the payment request in the buyer's app or wallet; the order confirms itself on the callback.

Manual

Publish your m-pesa paybill or till; buyers send direct and you match the payment reference. No credentials, no processor account.

Currencies and countries

KESKenyaTanzania

Related payment options

PIX

Brazil. Automatic and manual flows.

UPI

India. Automatic and manual flows.

PayNow

Singapore. Manual rail.

M-Pesa: FAQ

How fast is M-Pesa?
Seconds. An STK push lands as a prompt on the buyer's phone and settles the moment they enter their PIN.
What is a Paybill or Till number?
The short numeric ID that stands for a business on M-Pesa. Buyers pick Paybill or Till in their wallet, enter the number, and send.
Which countries does M-Pesa cover?
Kenya and Tanzania primarily, with sister networks across East Africa. The rail on U.CASH settles Kenyan shillings.
Can I offer M-Pesa beside crypto at checkout?
Yes, that is the standard configuration: the rail serves buyers who pay from banking apps, the crypto legs serve wallet holders, and cards cover everyone else. One checkout, one Payments queue, each payment closing with its reference.
What does the buyer need to pay through M-Pesa?
Your m-pesa paybill or till and the payment reference for the order. The checkout shows the exact coordinates; the buyer pastes them into their banking app and sends.
Who settles disputes and support on M-Pesa payments?
The rail itself behaves like a bank transfer: settlement follows the rail's rules, and there is no chargeback machinery to arbitrate afterward. Your checkout records, with the per-order reference and rail confirmation, are the paper trail for any customer conversation.
Get started

M-Pesa, live in minutes

Offer it beside cards, crypto, and every other rail on one non-custodial checkout.