A breakthrough for informal merchants in Kenya

7 Nov

Written By Blipply

Kenya’s first universal QR code that fully supports the Central Bank of Kenya’s KE-QR code standard is now live, no bank, no more multiple wallets, just one QR for every digital payment.

Across Kenya, millions of informal merchants still face daily hurdles accepting digital payments.

Currently, if a merchant wants to be secure and accept digital payments from every customer who walks through the door, they either need to have all mobile-money and bank apps installed or open a bank account.

This makes digital acceptance complicated, expensive, and exclusive. It prevents most merchants operating in the informal sector from truly going digital. As a result, many are forced to rely on only the most popular mobile-money option, which locks out customers using other wallets or bank apps.

The effect is that more payments remain cash-based, and customers who don’t carry cash or don’t use the same wallet as the merchant simply choose another stall or shop that supports their preferred app. This reduces sales opportunities for informal traders and keeps large parts of Kenya’s economy outside the digital ecosystem.

Blipply has now changed that.

We are proud to introduce Kenya’s first dynamic KE-QR payment system for merchants that enables any merchant to get paid instantly from any mobile-money wallet or bank app.

This is not just another QR code. It’s the first implementation built specifically for the informal economy and fully aligned with the Central Bank of Kenya’s KE-QR Code Standard 2023 and CBK’s ambition to drive financial inclusion via digital payments.

What makes this QR different

1. One platform for every customer

Traditionally, merchants had to choose between installing multiple wallets, risking lost sales, or relying heavily on cash.

This new QR ensures that a merchant only needs one platform to support all customers, simple, seamless, and secure.

2. No missed customers

By supporting all major digital-payment options, this QR allows even the smallest traders to serve every customer digitally.

No one is locked out, and digital sales rise across the board.

3. No bank account required

Unlike traditional merchant solutions, this platform does not require merchants to open or maintain a bank account.

Funds settle directly into the connected wallet, secure, immediate, and ready to use or withdraw.

4. No till or pay-bill number

The dynamic QR replaces the old system of separate tills and pay-bill numbers.

One QR works for every customer, reducing confusion, cost, and operational complexity.

5. Full interoperability

Because the system is built on the CBK’s national KE-QR standard, any wallet or banking app that follows the same protocol can scan it.

Merchants can finally accept payments from everyone, regardless of the customer’s network.

6. Instant settlement and visibility

Payments are credited instantly to the merchant’s wallet. Merchants can hold, transfer, or withdraw funds at any time.

Each transaction automatically creates a verified digital payment record, helping merchants strengthen their credit profiles and access future credit and loans.

7. End of misrouted payments

No more sending money to the wrong till or wallet. The QR ensures payments go directly to the intended merchant every time.

8. No more wallet-to-wallet transfer fees

Customers no longer need to move money between wallets or from bank to wallet, saving on transaction costs and reducing friction.

9. Time saved, no manual entry

Customers simply scan and pay. No need to type in till numbers or account details, making transactions faster and error-free.

Supported payment apps and providers in Kenya

The KE-QR Code Standard 2023 is being progressively adopted across Kenya’s financial ecosystem. Merchants using the new QR provided by Blipplys platform can now receive digital payments from customers using many of the country’s leading payment apps and wallets, including:

- M-Pesa (Safaricom) – through the M-Pesa app.

- Airtel Money (Airtel Africa) – via the Airtel Money app.

- T-Kash (Telkom Kenya) – Telkom’s mobile-money service.

- KCB Bank Kenya – via the KCB mobile-banking app.

- Equity Bank Kenya – through the Equity Mobile app.

- Co-operative Bank of Kenya – via Co-op Bank’s mobile-banking platform.

- Absa Bank Kenya – through the Absa mobile app.

- NCBA Bank – through NCBA Now app and other linked wallet integrations.

These and other financial institutions have already aligned, or are in the process of aligning, their systems with the KE-QR standard to enable universal scanning and acceptance across Kenya.

Why it matters

The launch of the new standard QR removes one of the bigger barriers preventing small merchants from going digital:

  
      Challenge
      Old System
      With the new QR
    
      Bank account required
      Yes
      No
    
      Till or pay-bill number
      Yes
      No
    
      Accepts all wallets and bank apps
      No
      Yes
    
      Instant settlement
      Often delayed
      Yes
    
      Builds credit profile
      No
      Yes
    
      Works for informal merchants
      Limited
      Designed for them
    
      Misrouted payments
      Common
      Eliminated
    
      Wallet transfer fees
      Frequent
      Avoided
    
      Manual number entry
      Required
      Eliminated

This makes digital payments truly inclusive, not just for formal businesses but for every roadside stall, mama mboga, boda rider, and kiosk operator.

All are winners

For merchants

- Accept payments from anyone, instantly.

- No setup costs or banking barriers.

- Safer, cash-free operations.

- Build a digital credit score for access to micro-loans.

- Use the first fully interoperable merchant app in Kenya.

For consumers

- No need to transfer funds between wallets, save on transaction fees

- No more typing in till or pay-bill numbers, just scan and go

- Fewer errors and misrouted payments, your money goes exactly where it should

- Faster, safer, and more convenient shopping experiences

For the Central Bank of Kenya

- Delivers on the KE-QR Code Standard 2023 vision of interoperability, inclusion, and simplicity.

- Empowers millions of small businesses to join the formal digital economy.

- Reduces fragmentation and supports safer, traceable transactions.

- Advances the CBK’s mission to digitise the informal economy.

- Increases transaction volumes across all networks.

Why this innovation matters nationally

Kenya has one of the most advanced mobile-money systems in the world, yet the informal economy still struggles to connect fully.

The KE-QR Code Standard 2023 was the Central Bank’s blueprint for fixing that fragmentation.

Blipply now turns that policy into practice, creating the first inclusive, interoperable merchant payment system in the country.This is a leap forward for inclusion, innovation, and the everyday merchant.

No bank. No more multiple wallets. Just one QR for every payment.

Blipply https://Blipply.com