Empowering people
Mobile and digital services enable day-to-day life, improve productivity, and help overcome challenges.
Local economies and communities thrive when people can access financial services, and when businesses use digital to transform how they operate.
Here’s how we’re empowering our customers to achieve their full potential. >
Financial inclusion is essential to reducing poverty and delivers significant social benefits and economic opportunities.
Globally, 1.7 billion adults do not have a bank account. But among them, an estimated 1.1 billion have a mobile phone – which can help them to access safe, secure financial services.
More than 62m of our customers are connected to our financial inclusion services, and we aim to reach
by March 2026.
Since 2007 we have been delivering financial inclusion through M-Pesa.
M-Pesa, ‘M’ for mobile, and ‘Pesa’ the Swahili word for cash, was originally a novel concept that converts physical cash into e-money, allowing customers to make payments simply and securely.
M-Pesa has grown to over
Every year M-Pesa processes 26 billion transactions – two and a half times more transactions than American Express – at a total value of $364 billion.
customers, supported by half a million M-Pesa agents across seven African countries.
SOHOs (small office/home office) and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are the lifeblood of many communities, providing opportunities for socio-economic participation, as well as social mobility for women, young people and ethnic minorities.
They account for 90% of businesses, 60-70% of employment and
of GDP worldwide.
Through Vodafone Business, we provide products and services that are specifically tailored for small businesses, guiding them through technology choices and improving their digital readiness.
To better support small businesses across Europe and Africa, Vodafone and Vodacom Business offer V-Hub, a digital advice service providing access to online information and experts who offer one-to-one advice and support.
Look out for more on how we’re closing the digital divide and supporting communities soon.