The GSMA Mobile Money Certification defines and promotes excellence in the provision of mobile financial services to our customers across the region.
Safaricom's M-PESA was re-certified by GSM Association, a recognition that underscores our commitment to providing secure, transparent, and reliable financial services.
It is important to note that M-PESA was one of the pioneering mobile money operators to receive the Global Mobile Money accreditation in 2018 and has consistently maintained its certification.
The GSMA Mobile Money Certification is a global standard aimed at ensuring the safety and robustness of mobile money services. It ensures that certified providers adhere to principles that assure and protect customer funds, safeguard personal data, ensure system security, maintain transparency on fees, and effectively manage customer service issues, including complaints. The certification underscores provision of worry-free M-PESA and emphasizes the importance of combating financial crimes such as money laundering and fraud.
This re-certification not only boosts consumer trust but also facilitates stronger commercial partnerships and sets a benchmark for the mobile money industry. With over 690 million registered accounts globally, mobile money services are significantly contributing to financial inclusion and improving lives worldwide.
We are dedicated to delivering excellence in safety and security, ensuring our customers can manage their resources worry-free. Since our initial certification in 2018, and through subsequent re-certifications, Safaricom has consistently aligned with the prestigious GSMA mobile money standards. These standards focus on compliance with eight key principles that address safety, customer data protection, and the robustness of financial services. This commitment reflects our dedication to doing the right thing when it comes to handling customer data.
Certification is a sign that our business practices are among the best in the industry, and that we are providing a secure, transparent, and reliable mobile money service. It also signifies our trustworthy and responsibility associated with our roles as a mobile financial service provider, and therefore an attractive candidate for collaboration with innovators and the business community.
M-PESA continues to play a crucial role in the development of the financial sector in Kenya and has gained popularity globally in the past decade. Today, there are 31.5 million active M-PESA users, processing over KES 40.2 Trillion in transactions annually as at the end of March 2024.
PIMS and PCI DSS are global standards aimed at ensuring the safety and robustness of systems while promoting excellence in customer data and personal identifiable information protection.
Safaricom Plc was awarded ISO 27701(PIMS) and PCI DSS certificate by British Standards Institute and SISA respectively; recognitions that underscores our commitment to safeguard Customer data. This is a testament to Safaricom’s commitment to protect the personal information of its customers across GSM and M-PESA services. It affirms compliance with globally acceptable regulatory and technical standards in implementation of privacy management systems and complements our Information Security Management Systems (ISO27001 – ISMS)
These certifications provide a strong foundation for our consumer trust and facilitate stronger commercial partnerships that set a benchmark for the telecommunications and financial services industries. With over 43.75m customers across our network, Safaricom has implemented and remains committed to adoption of the necessary controls to keep all personal information in our custody safe and secure. This enables us to continue delivering superior customer experience. It reflects our dedication to doing the right thing when it comes to handling customer information. The certifications attest the fact that Safaricom remains intentional about compliance with regulatory and security standards at a global level, which is aligned with our mission to be a technology leader in Africa.
It is important to note that Safaricom is among the first Mobile Network Operators (MNO) in the region to attain PIMS Certification. This is the highest certification an organization can attain in management of privacy information systems. In addition, we have also been awarded the latest and highest level of PCI DSS Certification (From v3.21 to v 4.0).
The certification was based on review of our implementation of adequate controls in a number of thematic areas where customer data is impacted, including customer support, M-PESA operations, compliance with legal and regulatory data protection requirements, implementation of appropriate technical (security) and organizational safeguards for personal information and employment of the appropriately skilled resources to support the programme.
Implementation of PIMS will not only boost our consumer trust, but it will also facilitate stronger partnerships with like-minded entities across the region and globally, including creating an opportunity to collaborate for success especially in this digital evolution era where we experience constant developments in areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, among others.
The certifications prove that we continue to challenge ourselves to go beyond and ensure that customers’ information is handled with integrity. It is a sign that our business practices are among the best-in-class in the industry, and that we are providing a secure, robust, and reliable operation. It also signifies our trustworthiness and responsibility in matters data protection as a GSM and M-PESA services provider, thus an attractive candidate for collaboration with innovators and business community.
TCCF (Tier Certification of Constructed Facility)
Safaricom Red Hill Data Centre is now Tier III certified; this followed a rigorous review undertaken by Uptime Institute; this is a recognition that underscores our commitment to reliable and available services. Tier Certification of Constructed Facility is a testament that Safaricom’s Red Hill Data Centre has been built to minimize risks and ensures that it operates smoothly and efficiently, while ensuring frictionless digital first customer experience.
