NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 18 – Safaricom will begin masking customer details in M-PESA peer-to-peer transactions from March 24, 2026, in a shift aimed at strengthening data privacy on Kenya’s leading mobile money platform.
The changes will see phone numbers partially hidden in transaction notifications, with only two names displayed instead of the current full identity details. Transaction information such as amount, date and reference number will remain visible.
The update affects a key segment of M-PESA’s operations, which processes about 37 million peer-to-peer transactions daily, forming a significant share of the platform’s 137.9 million daily transactions.
“Data minimisation ensures that only the necessary information is shared or displayed, reducing exposure to misuse while maintaining a seamless customer experience,” the company said.
“Masking limits the information fraudsters can use while strengthening customer trust and confidence in digital transactions,” it added.
The rollout comes amid rising scrutiny of data privacy risks in digital payments, including fraud, spam messages and misuse of personal contact information.
Safaricom is also introducing a verification option that allows recipients to request full sender details via a short code, subject to the sender’s approval.
The move marks the latest in a series of changes to data visibility across M-PESA products as digital transactions scale and concerns over data protection intensify.
Kenya’s mobile money ecosystem, often cited as a global benchmark for financial inclusion, is increasingly under pressure to balance accessibility with stronger safeguards on personal data.
