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Figures from Safaricom's published tariff page

Safaricom publishes an M-Pesa ceiling of 250,000 shillings per transaction, 500,000 per day and a maximum wallet balance of 500,000. Send money is free up to 100 shillings and banded above that to a cap of 108. Agent deposits are free and agent withdrawals range from 11 to 309 shillings.

M-Pesa limits and crypto

Three ceilings shape every crypto purchase in Kenya: 250,000 shillings per transaction, 500,000 per day, and a maximum wallet balance of 500,000. Any purchase above the per-transaction ceiling has to be split, and anything above the daily ceiling has to wait for tomorrow.

Limit or chargePublished figure
Maximum per transaction250,000 KES
Maximum per day500,000 KES
Maximum wallet balance500,000 KES
Send moneyFree to 100 KES, then banded, capped at 108 KES
Agent depositFree
Agent withdrawal11 to 309 KES depending on band
RegistrationKenyan National ID or Kenyan Passport at an agent
One thing we deliberately do not tell you: whether those ceilings can be raised. One source says they are set by the central bank and cannot be lifted on request. Another says a verification upgrade at a Safaricom shop raises them. Those cannot both be right and we are not going to guess. Ask Safaricom directly.

What this means in practice

  • A P2P order above 250,000 shillings needs to be split into multiple M-Pesa payments, and some sellers will not accept a split. Check their terms before you open the order.
  • Cashing out more than 500,000 shillings in a day is not possible through M-Pesa alone, whatever the casino side allows.
  • Balance ceiling matters on the receiving end. If a buyer pays you into a nearly full wallet, the payment can fail.
  • Agent deposits are free, so topping up in cash before a purchase costs nothing extra.

Scale, for context

Kenya recorded roughly 19 billion US dollars in crypto inflows between July 2024 and June 2025, more than double the preceding twelve months, according to blockchain analytics reporting. That is why the P2P market here is deep enough to fill orders in minutes, and why the spread is competitive compared with thinner markets.

Buying USDTSelling backCash-out hub
Can I use someone else's M-Pesa for a P2P trade

No, and you should not try. Name mismatches between the payment and the trading account are the most common cause of a failed release and a lost dispute.

Do these limits apply to bank transfers too

These are the M-Pesa figures. Bank channels have their own limits, set by the bank.

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