Pesalink and Cellulant Expand Partnership to Power Instant Bank-to-Merchant Payments in Kenya

30 September 2025 | Nairobi, Kenya – Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), operators of Pesalink, and leading pan-African payments company Cellulant today announced a strategic partnership to simplify and scale enable instant, and affordable customer-to-business (C2B) payments for online services in Kenya. 

By integrating Cellulant’s robust payment platform, Tingg with Pesalink’s extensive network  which connects over 80 financial institutions, including 39 commercial banks, SACCOs, and fintechs, the partnership will enable millions of consumers to pay seamlessly from their bank accounts directly to merchants, while giving businesses access to a wider customer base and more reliable payment flows  

The two organisations are solving some of the most persistent challenges in digital payments today: delays, reconciliation errors, and limited payment options, while advancing Kenya’s digital infrastructure that connects banks, fintechs, and merchants to interoperability. 

 

Benefits for Businesses and Consumers 

At check out, customers making purchases from Cellulant’s merchants can now pay up to KSh 999,999 Enjoying seamless, simple, and instant transactions without the hassle of moving funds  between multiple mobile money or card platforms Additionally, the integration now makes transactions more transparent and secure. Each payment now carries a reliable reference number, ensuring money goes to the right merchant and is correctly linked to what the customer was paying for. This reduces errors, builds trust, and makes digital payments more dependable. 

Businesses using  the Cellulant platform benefit from accurate reconciliation, fewer disputes, and faster settlement. Since bank transfers are often high-value payments, this partnership removes costly delays and missing payments, freeing businesses to focus on growth and delivering value to their customers rather than chasing outstanding payments. 

The service has gone live with businesses in the airline and travel sectors and will be rolled out more widely over the next few months. 

Driving Growth in the Digital Economy 

As Kenya continues to strengthen its position as a leader in digital financial services, partnerships like this play a vital role in building trust and efficiency in the payment ecosystem. 

“Pesalink was built to simplify life through instant, affordable payments for everyone, everywhere, every time. Our partnership with Cellulant directly addresses recurring merchant pain points in payment reconciliation, while providing customers with a seamless experience. We believe this will be a catalyst for growth in Kenya's digital economy, and we are showing how payments can truly move different.” said Plounne Oyunge, Chief Growth Officer at Pesalink. 

 

Cellulant operates Tingg, its single API payment platform, which supports over 200 payment methods, including cards, bank transfers, and mobile money, across both online and offline channels, simplifying accepting and making payments. Tingg today processes more than 4.5 million transactions daily, powering payments for local, regional, and global businesses across Africa.  

“ At Cellulant, we believe that transforming how money moves transforms lives. Every time we remove friction from the movement of money, we enable businesses to grow faster, consumers to access more opportunities, and communities to thrive. Seamless and secure payments are a tool for progress: they build trust, drive commerce, and open doors for innovation. This partnership with Pesalink demonstrated our commitment  to improve the everyday transaction experience for businesses and the customers they serve” said Michael Muriuki, VP Group Innovation and Software Engineering at Cellulant. 

This partnership aligns with industry-wide efforts to promote interoperability, financial inclusion, and cost-effective digital payments. By connecting banks and fintechs, the Pesalink–Cellulant integration demonstrates how collaborative infrastructure can unlock new opportunities for businesses and consumers. 

Kenya’s digital payments market is projected to reach US$9.36 billion in 2025, with mobile POS payments accounting for US$5.85 billion1. Pesalink currently processes KSh 4 billion daily, with monthly transaction volumes exceeding KSh 110 billion, reflecting a 41% year-on-year growth. The network is a cornerstone of Kenya’s financial infrastructure, enabling interbank transfers, bill payments, and merchant transactions. 

END 

Cellulant is Africa’s leading payments company, providing seamless, secure and innovative solutions that empower businesses, banks, and global brands to thrive in a fast-changing global economy.  

With a presence in over 24 countries and 200+ payment methods across cards, bank transfer and mobile money, its single API payment platform, Tingg, simplifies collections, disbursements, and reconciliations. It processes over 2.5 million transactions daily for market leaders in various sectors, such as Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail, and Remittances.  

By simplifying how people pay and get paid, Cellulant drives trust, commerce and scale, connecting companies and people to their ambitions.  

For more information:  

Visit –  www.cellulant.io  | LinkedIn   www.linkedin.com/company/cellulant/    

Contact - Charity Murigi, Head of Communication & Brand, Cellulant  [email protected]    

About Pesalink  Pesalink is Kenya's de facto instant, open and interoperable account to account transfer network. It is operated by Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), a subsidiary of the Kenya Bankers Association (KBA). It was established in 2015 under the National Payment System (NPS) Act to enhance financial inclusion and efficiency in Kenya's banking sector.   

 

To this end, Pesalink enables seamless transfers of up to Ksh. 999,999 to any Kenyan bank account holder, anywhere, at any time, across the +80 participants integrated on its network who include banks, telcos, fintechs and SACCOs. As a simple, instant and affordable transfer service, Pesalink is widely accessible on all major banking channels – including internet banking, mobile apps, and bank USSD 

For more information, please visit:  http://www.pesalink.co.ke  

For enquiries, please contact:  Trezer Maina, Head of Marketing & Communications, Integrated Payment Services Limited,  [email protected]   or  Cynthia Wangu, Senior Account Manager, Levanter Africa,  [email protected]