Craft Silicon has launched TouristTap, a payment solution developed in partnership with KCB Bank and Visa, aimed at Kenya's tourism sector. Launched in September 2025, the service turns smartphones into payment devices, addressing a challenge commonly faced by visitors to Kenya, according to Kachwanya. The product enables contactless payments without dedicated card terminals, targeting merchants and service providers in the tourism industry.

East Africa's tourism and hospitality industry is growing due to rising international visitor arrivals and increased tourism earnings. This growth offers opportunities for hotels, safari lodges, and tour operators, but many businesses still use fragmented operational systems that hinder efficiency. The article discusses how digital payments are influencing this transformation in the sector.

Kenya has solidified its status as a leading digital financial market, bolstered by widespread mobile money adoption and a growing cashless payment ecosystem. The mobile merchant payments sector has seen consistent growth, primarily fueled by Safaricom's Lipa na M-Pesa platform, which has significantly enhanced mobile retail transaction volumes.

Co-op Bank is preparing to launch Visa Accept in Kenya, which will enable traders to convert their mobile phones into card terminals. This initiative is expected to facilitate card payments among traders, but it will not replace the existing M-Pesa mobile payment system.

Visa is enhancing its digital payments ecosystem by introducing new features for Visa Accept and Visa Direct, which allow small businesses to use smartphones for receiving payments and sending real-time payouts without the need for additional payment hardware. These updates are specifically designed to support micro, small, and medium-sized businesses in emerging markets, according to TechTrends KE.

Mastercard has partnered with Flowcart to let consumers in Kenya discover products, place orders, and pay by card without leaving social or messaging platforms, beginning with WhatsApp. According to TechTrends KE, the initiative aims to simplify digital payments for social sellers, small and medium-sized businesses, and larger merchants engaged in conversational commerce. The companies also plan to expand the service beyond WhatsApp, though further details of the rollout were not specified in the announcement.