Equitel
Also known as: Equitel MVNO, Equity Mobile Line, Finserve Africa
Full definition
Equitel is the mobile line issued by Finserve Africa Limited, a subsidiary of Equity Group Holdings. Where M-PESA sits on a Safaricom SIM and holds value in a wallet, Equitel sits on an Airtel-network SIM and holds value in the customer's Equity Bank account itself. Sending money, paying a paybill or buying goods on Equitel debits the bank account directly, with no wallet layer in between.
Access is via *247# or the Equity Mobile app. Standard actions include Send Money (to any mobile-money network), Pay Bill (Kenya-wide paybill directory), Buy Goods (Lipa na M-PESA tills work), Withdraw at any Equity ATM or agent, and EazzyLoan (bank-issued short-term credit).
Equitel is the third mobile-money force in Kenya after M-PESA and Airtel Money. Precise subscriber and volume figures are reported in the Equity Group Annual Report; paybillke's Equitel hub carries the current numbers.
Worked example
A customer on Equitel dials *247#, chooses My Money, chooses Pay Bill, enters paybill 888880 (KPLC), enters their meter number, enters KES 1,000, confirms with PIN. Equity Bank debits their bank account and pushes the transaction to KPLC.
Verified 2026-09-01. Definitions on paybillke are sourced from Safaricom PLC Annual Report FY2026, the Central Bank of Kenya, the Communications Authority of Kenya, the Kenya Revenue Authority, and the primary operator documentation for each product. How we verify. Report a change.