Kenya’s payments market has long tilted toward mobile money. Now, Pesalink and Cellulant’s Tingg are betting that interbank rails and fintech agility can loosen M-PESA’s stranglehold, especially in high-ticket transactions.
Launched on October 1, 2025, this integration is shaking things up for customer-to-business (C2B) payments, offering instant transfers of up to KES 999,999 ($7,700), nearly double M-PESA’s KES 500,000 daily cap and quadruple its KES 250,000 single-transaction limit. So, can this duo dethrone mobile money for big-ticket payments?
The Edge: Bigger, Faster, Smarter
Pesalink’s integration with Tingg allows merchants to accept direct bank payments across its network of over 80 financial institutions, including 39 commercial banks, SACCOs, and fintechs.
Unlike mobile money, which often involves delays in settlements and manual reconciliation, this system delivers real-time transfers with unique reference numbers for seamless tracking.
For businesses like airlines, travel agencies, or e-commerce platforms handling high-value purchases, think last-minute business class tickets or bulk supplier payments; this is a game-changer.
Plounne Oyunge, Pesalink’s Chief Growth Officer, emphasised, “We’re tackling merchant pain points head-on, ensuring faster settlements and smoother customer experiences.”
Mobile money, while universal, struggles with high-value transactions. M-PESA’s limits force users to split payments or turn to slower bank channels, creating friction for both customers and merchants.
Pesalink and Cellulant, by contrast, streamline these transactions, cutting disputes and cash flow delays. With daily transaction volumes already hitting KES 4 billion and 41% year-on-year growth, Pesalink’s infrastructure is proving it can handle the load.
Strategic Moves in a Booming Market
Kenya’s digital payments market is projected to reach $9.36 billion by the end of 2025, with mobile money accounting for $5.85 billion.
Yet, high-value transactions, particularly in e-commerce, travel, and SME bulk payments, are a growing niche where mobile money’s constraints are evident. Pesalink isn’t stopping at Cellulant.
Recent integrations with M-PESA (via a September 2025 mini-app for up to KES 500,000 bank transfers) and TendePay (for SME payroll and supplier payouts) show a clear play: build a versatile ecosystem that complements, rather than competes with, existing platforms while targeting their weaknesses.
The Central Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) National Payments Strategy 2022-2025, which pushes for a new Fast Payment System (FPS) to rival global standards, adds context.
While the CBK debates interoperability, Pesalink is already modernising its infrastructure, positioning itself as a backbone for instant, high-value transfers.
Michael Muriuki, Cellulant’s VP of Group Innovation, said it best: “Removing friction from money movement fuels business growth and community prosperity.”
The Catch: Can They Shift Habits?
Mobile money’s dominance, driven by M-PESA’s 98% market share and 50 million monthly active users, stems from its accessibility and deep integration into daily life.
From street vendors to urban professionals, it’s the default for most Kenyans, banked or not. Pesalink and Cellulant, while powerful for high-value transactions, rely on banked customers and merchant adoption.
Financial inclusion remains a hurdle: only 83% of Kenyans have bank accounts, compared to near-universal mobile money access.
READ ALSO:From M-Pesa to Pesalink: The State of Digital Payments in Kenya
Scaling merchant uptake and convincing consumers to shift from familiar mobile apps to bank-direct payments will take time.
Moreover, mobile money providers aren’t standing still. M-PESA has been experimenting with higher limits and B2B solutions, while Airtel Money and others are pushing for interoperability.
The CBK’s FPS could further level the playing field, potentially diluting Pesalink’s edge if it fully rolls out by 2027.
The Verdict
Pesalink and Cellulant have a real shot at carving out the high-value transaction space, especially for businesses craving speed, scale, and reliability.
Their ability to process nearly KES 1 million instantly, with real-time reconciliation, is a clear win over mobile money’s limits. But overtaking mobile money entirely?
That’s a taller order. M-PESA’s entrenched user base and versatility across low- and mid-value transactions make it a strong contender.
For now, Pesalink and Cellulant are smartly targeting a premium niche high-value C2B and B2B payments while building bridges with mobile money for broader reach.
If they can drive merchant adoption and leverage Kenya’s $9.36 billion digital payments wave, they might not overtake mobile money but could redefine how big transactions are done. For Kenyan businesses, that’s a shift worth watching.
PesaLink & Tingg Guide:
The PesaLink app has become a trusted tool for instant transfers, with users often asking about the PesaLink limit per day, PesaLink charges, and how to make a PesaLink to M-Pesa transaction.
Access is easy through the PesaLink login or via the PesaLink app download, while support is available through the official PesaLink contacts or the PesaLink customer care number.
On the other hand, Tingg Cellulant Kenya offers a versatile digital payments solution under the Tingg for Business platform, enabling merchants to streamline Tingg payments.
Users can manage accounts via the Cellulant Tingg login, reach support through the Cellulant Tingg contact number or Tingg Cellulant customer care number, and even use the convenient Tingg USSD code.
With operations expanding into Africa, including Tingg Cellulant Zambia, the service is fast becoming a continental payment leader.
Ronnie Paul is a seasoned writer and analyst with a prolific portfolio of over 1,000 published articles, specialising in fintech, cryptocurrency, climate change, and digital finance at Africa Digest News.
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