Kenyan fintech startup Tando has introduced a feature that lets users send Bitcoin to any Kenyan phone number, turning cryptocurrency transfers into a mobile money experience that resembles everyday M-PESA transactions.
- Kenyan fintech startup Tando has introduced a feature that lets users send Bitcoin to any Kenyan phone number, turning cryptocurrency...
- The feature means users do not need a crypto wallet, knowledge of the Lightning Network, or even a Bitcoin account...
- Users send payments from any supported Lightning wallet, including Phoenix, Strike, and Wallet of Satoshi, while recipients receive funds through...
- The Nairobi-based startup charges zero transaction fees and covers all costs itself to accelerate Bitcoin adoption across Kenya.
Keep reading for the full breakdown on Africa Crypto — everything you need to know is covered below.
The feature means users do not need a crypto wallet, knowledge of the Lightning Network, or even a Bitcoin account to receive funds. Instead, the money arrives directly as Kenyan shillings in their mobile money account.
This comes as Kenya continues to rank among Africa’s most active mobile money and cryptocurrency markets, with more than 45 million active mobile money wallets recorded in early 2025, and crypto adoption continues to rise among young, mobile-first users.
How Tando’s Bitcoin phone number transfers work
Tando’s platform runs on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, a payment layer built for faster, cheaper Bitcoin transactions. Users send payments from any supported Lightning wallet, including Phoenix, Strike, and Wallet of Satoshi, while recipients receive funds through Kenya’s existing mobile money infrastructure.
“Send money directly to any Kenyan phone number. You send bitcoin, they receive Kenyan Shillings,” the company states.
Merchants and recipients require no changes to their current operations. “The receiver doesn’t have to change anything in their business process. Tando integrates with the existing payment system that they are already using today,” the company confirmed.
The Nairobi-based startup charges zero transaction fees and covers all costs itself to accelerate Bitcoin adoption across Kenya. The app supports everyday payments, including bills, rent, groceries, internet subscriptions, and direct transfers to individuals, all processed with just a phone number.
The idea came after Tando’s founding team attended the African Bitcoin Conference in Ghana in 2023. There, they observed a pattern that diverged sharply from Western Bitcoin behaviour.
“Through our boots-on-the-ground research, we learned that most people in Kenya were more interested in using bitcoin as a Medium of Exchange first, and Store of Value second,” the company said.
That insight drove the team to build an app that mirrors the interface Kenyans already trust. “An app that looked and worked nearly identically to the M-Pesa app that is ubiquitous throughout the country, but with just one small change, Bitcoin as the medium of exchange,” Tando stated.
With 98 per cent of Kenya’s 54 million residents already using M-PESA, Tando’s strategy of plugging into existing payment rails rather than replacing them gives the product an immediate, nationwide reach from launch.
Africa’s crypto payment push increases
Tando’s rollout reflects a broader push across Africa to integrate Bitcoin and stablecoin payments into existing mobile money systems.
Crypto firms in Kenya, Nigeria, and other African markets are increasingly targeting remittances, merchant payments, and everyday transfers as digital asset adoption grows.
The Tando app supports payments for bills, shopping, rent, internet subscriptions, and transfers to individuals using only a phone number.