By Funmilola Gboteku
Airtel Africa Plc says mobile money transactions exceeded 210 billion dollars on annualised basis for nine months ended Dec. 31, 2025, highlighting the rapid growth of digital financial services across its markets.
Airtel Africa made this known in its nine-month report ended Dec. 31, 2025 on Friday.
The company noted that mobile money subscribers increased by 17.3 per cent, reaching 52 million and surpassing the 50-million milestone.
It added that annualised total processed value (TPV) for the third quarter of 2026 rose 36 per cent to over 210 billion dollars.
Airtel Africa noted that revenue increased by 28.3 per cent in reported currency and 24.6 per cent in constant currency to 4.67 billion dollars.
Data revenue rose to 36.5 per cent, voice revenue increased to 13.5 per cent, and mobile money revenue grew by 29.4 per cent.
The report said the total customer base rose by 10 per cent to 179.4 million, while data customers increased by 14.6 per cent to 81.8 million.
“Smartphone penetration reached 48.1 per cent and average data usage rose to 8.6 gigabytes per month.
“Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 35.9 per cent to 2.28 billion dollars, while margins improved to 48.9 per cent and further rose to 49.6 per cent in Q3 2026,” the report said.
It stated that profit after tax (PAT) rose to 586 million dollars from 248 million dollars, supported by higher operating profit and derivative and foreign exchange gains of 99 million dollars.
The report revealed that basic earnings per share (EPS) increased to 13.1 cents.
Airtel Africa said capital expenditure (Capex) increased by 32.2 per cent to 603 million dollars.
The company said leverage improved to 1.9 times from 2.4 times, while lease-adjusted leverage fell to 0.7 times, reflecting stronger earnings during the period.
Airtel Africa noted that network investment remained a priority, with about 2,500 new sites rolled out and the fibre network expanded by approximately 4,000 kilometres, raising population coverage to 81.7 per cent.
The company said its digital initiatives and innovative partnerships were driving stronger adoption of services, with greater integration of mobile money and GSM offerings.
It noted that these had contributed to higher average revenue per user and increased engagement across platforms.
The company also highlighted ongoing adoption of Artificial Intelligence in service delivery.
Commenting, the Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, Sunil Taldar, said: “These results highlight the strength of our strategy, with solid operating and financial trends across the business.
“Investment in connectivity and digital services position us to capture growth opportunities.
“Our push to enhance financial inclusion continues, with mobile money surpassing 50 million subscribers and processed value exceeding 210 billion dollars.
“We remain on track for the listing of mobile money in the first half of 2026,” he added.
Airtel Africa said smartphone adoption continued to rise, supporting increased data usage, while growth in its home broadband business reflected the rising demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity across its markets. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
