KCB Group to Acquire 22.23% Stake in Pesapal

In Short

• KCB Group is set to acquire a 22.23% stake in Pesapal.
• Tanzania’s Fair Competition Commission has started reviewing the deal and is inviting public comments.
• The purchase price has not been disclosed, and the transaction is still subject to regulatory approvals.

What Happened

KCB Group plans to buy 22.23% of Pesapal, according to a public notice from Tanzania’s Fair Competition Commission (FCC). The disclosure is the first time a specific percentage has been made public for a deal KCB had not detailed since it announced the investment in 2025.

The FCC said it began reviewing the transaction on August 21. It is asking for feedback from any parties that may be affected in Tanzania. This is a standard step in competition reviews, where regulators assess whether a deal could reduce competition in a market.

Because Pesapal operates through a Tanzanian subsidiary, the stake would give KCB indirect control in Tanzania. “Indirect control” means KCB may not own the subsidiary outright, but it can still influence decisions through its ownership position and shareholder rights.

Pesapal provides payments services for merchants, including tools that help businesses accept digital payments. The company operates across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zambia.

Why It Matters

For KCB, the Pesapal stake strengthens its push beyond traditional banking into payments and business software. Business software, in this context, means tools that help merchants run day-to-day operations, such as getting paid, tracking sales, or managing checkout.

For East Africa’s payments market, the deal signals how banks are increasingly seeking exposure to merchant networks and payment gateways. If approved, KCB could use Pesapal’s distribution to deepen merchant acquiring, which is the business of signing up merchants and processing their card and mobile money payments.

The FCC review will be watched by fintechs and banks that compete for the same merchants in Tanzania. The regulator’s decision could also shape how future bank investments into payment providers are assessed in the country.