Mobile money has become one of the most important pillars of Kenya’s digital economy, and M‑Pesa continues to lead that transformation.

With millions of daily transactions across businesses, retailers, and service providers, the platform has fundamentally changed how payments are made and received.

The new M-Pesa privacy feature introduced by Safaricom is set to change how customer data is shared during mobile money transactions in Kenya. As one of the most widely used digital payment platforms in the country, M-Pesa processes millions of transactions daily across businesses, retailers, and service providers.

The update will mask customer phone numbers during payments, limiting the amount of personal information visible to merchants. While the change is designed to strengthen privacy protections, it also introduces new considerations for organizations that rely on mobile payments for everyday operations.

What is the M-Pesa privacy feature?

The new M-Pesa privacy feature prevents merchants from automatically seeing the full phone number of customers making payments through paybill or till numbers.

Instead, businesses will see a partially masked number when receiving transaction details.

This update aims to reduce unnecessary sharing of personal information while still allowing transactions to be processed normally.

The feature is expected to roll out across the platform during 2026.

Why the M-Pesa privacy feature is important

The introduction of the M-Pesa privacy feature aligns with Kenya’s growing focus on data protection and responsible data use.

Under the Data Protection Act 2019 Kenya, organizations must ensure that personal information is collected and shared only when necessary.

Previously, M-Pesa transactions automatically exposed the customer’s phone number to the receiving merchant. While this helped confirm payments, it also created potential risks such as:

• Unsolicited marketing messages
• Misuse of personal contact information
• Increased exposure to scams or fraud

By masking phone numbers, the new M-Pesa privacy feature reduces these risks while maintaining the functionality of the payment system.

How the M-Pesa privacy feature affects businesses

Businesses that accept mobile money payments may need to adjust their payment verification processes.

Instead of relying on visible phone numbers or SMS confirmations, organizations may need to use:

• Merchant dashboards
• Integrated POS systems
• Automated payment verification tools

These systems allow businesses to confirm transactions quickly without relying on personal data displayed on a customer’s phone.

For many organizations, this change highlights the importance of having modern digital infrastructure that integrates payments, communications, and business systems.

Preparing for the future of digital payments

Mobile payments will continue to play a central role in Kenya’s digital economy. As platforms evolve, businesses must adapt to new privacy standards, security requirements, and technology capabilities.

Organizations that invest in integrated, secure systems will be better positioned to deliver seamless customer experiences while maintaining compliance with evolving regulations.

At Ambience Communications, we help organizations modernize their technology infrastructure to support secure, scalable digital operations.

From communication platforms to enterprise technology systems, our solutions are designed to help businesses operate efficiently in a rapidly evolving digital environment.

If your organization is preparing for the future of digital payments and customer engagement, Ambience Communications can help you build the systems that support growth, security, and innovation.