Mobile
Tanzania's telecommunications sector reached 106.9 million total subscriptions at the end of 2025, up 23.2% from 86.8 million at the end of 2024, with mobile SIM cards representing 99.9% of all subscriptions.[10][11]
Mobile connectivity has become the backbone of Tanzania's digital economy, driving financial inclusion, capital market participation, and everyday commerce.
The rapid uptake of mobile services underpins a telecom penetration rate of 156.9% and has translated into transformative growth in mobile money, mobile payments, and mobile-enabled trading platforms.
Mobile money penetration reached nearly 90% in 2023, positioning Tanzania as one of the fastest-growing digital finance markets in East Africa.
Contents
Mobile Subscriptions and Telecom Penetration
In 2025, telecommunications services recorded strong growth, with total subscriptions reaching 106.9 million at year-end.[10]
This was a 23.2% rise from 86.8 million at the end of 2024.[11]
Mobile subscriptions (SIM cards) represented 99.9% of all subscriptions, confirming the near-total dominance of mobile access over fixed lines.
The resulting telecom penetration rate stood at 156.9%, reflecting widespread multi-SIM ownership across the population.
The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) sector was estimated at TZS 3.2 trillion in 2024, contributing 1.6% to GDP in the first nine months of 2025, and growing 10.4% compared with the same period in 2024.[3]
The growth was attributed to an increase in voice traffic per minute, short message service (SMS) traffic, the average number of mobile money subscribers, and the expansion of broadcasting and internet services.[9]
Mobile Money Subscriptions and Transactions
Active mobile money subscriptions reached 63.21 million in 2024, up 17.46% from 51.72 million in 2023.
Mobile payment transactions grew 26.73% in volume over the same period, from 5,061.20 million to 6,413.94 million.
The value of those transactions jumped 28.54%, from TZS 154,705.77 billion to TZS 198,859.29 billion.[5]
Mobile money remains the dominant fintech segment, having evolved beyond simple transfers to seamlessly integrate merchant and utility payments, as well as cross-border remittances.
Currently, Tanzania's financial technology (fintech) space encompasses mobile payments, digital loans, investments, and insurance.
Mobile Money and Financial Inclusion
Before digital financial services, formal finance in Tanzania was concentrated mainly in urban areas, with rural populations relying heavily on informal mechanisms.
The turning point came in 2008 with the launch of M-Pesa, which enabled mobile phone-based money transfers and bill payments without the need for a traditional bank account.
Competing mobile money platforms introduced by other operators further expanded access, and by 2013 these platforms began offering microloans and savings products.
In 2014, Tanzania implemented full interoperability among mobile money networks, allowing customers to transact seamlessly across different platforms.
In 2023, bank account ownership stood at 22% of the adult population, but mobile money penetration reached nearly 90%, highlighting the transformative role of digital solutions.[1]
Formal financial service usage increased to 76% in 2023, while the Tanzania Financial Inclusion Index (TanFiX) rose to 0.81 in 2024 from 0.69 in 2023, supported by expanded mobile money and banking agent networks, improved ICT infrastructure, national identification interoperability, and rural electrification.[2][6]
Mobile Money in FDI Inflows
FDI inflows to information and communication activities more than doubled in 2023 to USD 198 million, driven by growing demand for internet services and mobile money transfers.[4]
Together with mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and finance and insurance, information and communication contributed 82.4% of total FDI in 2023.
This positioned mobile-enabled services among the top five fastest-growing economic activities during the year.
Mobile Trading and Capital Markets
In 2015, the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange introduced a regulatory framework enabling the use of mobile phone technology in initial public offerings (IPOs), debt issuance, and secondary trading.
In 2020, a mobile trading platform was launched, allowing investors to buy, sell, and manage their investments directly from their phones.
Turnover on the DSE mobile trading platform increased by 656.38% year-on-year in 2025, contributing 22.92 million shares and accounting for 47.16% of turnover from normal trades (excluding block trades).
This retail adoption drove a 316.28% surge in new Central Depository System (CDS) account registrations, with 123,547 new accounts opened compared to just 29,679 in 2024.
The majority of these new registrations (40.33%) belonged to investors aged 21 to 30, bringing the total number of unique CDS accounts to 740,639, a 20.01% increase from 617,092 at the close of 2024.
The full integration of the DSE application into the country's largest mobile money platform drove a 397% increase in mobile trading registrations, with mobile-driven turnover accounting for 24.3% of total equity trading.[7]
Policy and Regulatory Framework
Fintech and payment systems are overseen via the National Payment Systems Act, the 2015 mobile payment guidelines, and the Fintech (Regulatory Sandbox) Regulations 2024 for innovation testing.
The Microfinance Act 2018 classifies non-bank digital lenders into tiers, with Tiers 2 through 4 operating under specific rules such as the Non-Deposit Taking Microfinance Service Providers Regulations 2019.
The National Financial Inclusion Framework (NFIF) supports the implementation of national development plans, aiming to ensure all adults and businesses have access to and use a broad range of affordable and high-quality financial products and services.
Specific interventions focus on expanding access to and usage of high-quality, affordable formal financial services for disproportionately excluded segments of the population, including women, youth, MSMEs, smallholder farmers, fishers, and persons with disabilities.
Investment Opportunities
Opportunities exist in digital banking, mobile payments, microfinance, and insurance services, with regulatory reforms supporting foreign investment across the financial sector.
Mobile money's evolution from simple transfers into merchant payments, utility payments, and cross-border remittances opens space for new digital loan, savings, and investment products targeting the 63.21 million active mobile money subscribers.
The integration of banks as agents for insurance sales is expected to enhance insurance penetration, with mobile channels providing scalable distribution for microinsurance and inclusive products.
Mobile-enabled capital market access, including mobile trading platforms and mobile-based IPO participation, offers a route to the DSE target of 1 million investors by the end of 2026 and 10 million by 2032.[8]
With telecom penetration at 156.9% and mobile SIMs representing 99.9% of subscriptions, opportunities extend into value-added services layered on top of connectivity, from digital lending and remittances to mobile-based investment platforms and agent networks.
Last Update: May 2026
References
- https://www.fsdt.or.tz/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FinScope-Tanzania-2023-Full-Report-Insights-that-Drive-Innovation.pdf (Guide reference #16)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Annual%20Report/en/2026022607584561.pdf (Guide reference #17)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Quarterly%20statistical%20Bulletin/en/2026022607540099.pdf (Guide reference #46)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Other/Tanzania%20Investment/en/2025022811524146.pdf (Guide reference #51)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Financial%20Stability/en/2025072310063848.pdf (Guide reference #106)
- https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Annual%20Report/sw/2025082509110518.pdf (Guide reference #119)
- https://dse.co.tz/storage/securities/DSE/financial_statement/Annual/PZFznv6PcCqY3s7h7hyLGLmHKoxcxu11OXxjL4pf.pdf (Guide reference #122)
- https://dailynews.co.tz/govt-dse-to-expand-capital-market-access (Guide reference #123)
- https://www.nbs.go.tz/uploads/statistics/documents/en-1769069714-Highlights%20on%20the%20Third%20Quarter%20GDP%202025.pdf (Guide reference #162)
- https://www.tcra.go.tz/uploads/text-editor/files/Communication%20Statistics%20report%20for%20quarter%20two%20ending%20December%202025_1769162789.pdf (Guide reference #163)
- https://www.tcra.go.tz/uploads/text-editor/files/Communication%20Statistics%20Report%20-%20December%202024_1736975031.pdf (Guide reference #164)
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