Safaricom has over 27,000 M-Pesa agents throughout Kenya.  Coupled with the fact that its agents sign exclusivity agreements, Safaricom has an enormous - possibly insurmountable - advantage over its competitors.

But what happens when agents have the clout to reject exclusivity?

For example, Paynet Group and PEP Intermedius are both agents for multiple mobile money providers.  

Paynet Group’s PesaPoint ATMs can perform cash-out for both Airtel Money (nickname: pesapoint) and Safaricom M-Pesa (agent number: 555555). 

PEP Intermedius agents in Nakumatt outlets interact with Airtel Money, Safaricom M-Pesa, and Essar yuCash.  (Note the empty frames on the top middle and bottom right. Room for Orange Money banners?)

So what do these exceptions mean for the agent ecosystem in the long-run?  Are they outliers, or do they represent the end of agent exclusivity? 

Ben Lyon, VP of Business Development (@bmlyon)