Safaricom PLC Unveils 'Fuliza Ya Pochi' Overdraft Facility to Unlock Working Capital for 3.3 Million Merchants

Kenya’s digital financial services ecosystem achieved a transformative milestone as Safaricom PLC launched Fuliza Ya Pochi, extending instant short-term working capital credit to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating on the Pochi La Biashara platform.

Officially launched at Makongeni Market in Thika, Kiambu County, on October 22, 2026, the micro-overdraft facility is engineered to solve everyday cash-flow friction faced by informal traders, market vendors, and small business owners. Under the mechanism, merchants can complete transactions, pay wholesale suppliers, purchase stock, and settle operational bills even when their business wallets have insufficient funds. Repayments are structured seamlessly, with outstanding balances automatically deducted from subsequent customer payments received into the merchant's Pochi wallet.

To qualify for Fuliza Ya Pochi, merchants must maintain active Pochi La Biashara account usage for at least six months. Credit limits are dynamically calculated based on daily transaction volumes, wallet turnover, and repayment performance. Merchants can opt-in and manage their credit lines via the Pochi Mini App on My OneApp or by dialing *334#.

Speaking during the launch event, Safaricom Group CEO Peter Ndegwa underscored that Fuliza Ya Pochi democratizes access to business credit for all 3.3 million active Pochi La Biashara merchants, replicating the revolutionary liquidity impact that the consumer-facing Fuliza platform has delivered to over 17 million individual Safaricom subscribers.

By embedding short-term credit directly into merchant point-of-sale workflows, Safaricom continues to deepen digital financial inclusion, strengthen MSME liquidity, and transition informal trade into formal digital financial ecosystems.

Why This Matters

For the national economy, Fuliza Ya Pochi serves as an Engine for Informal Sector Liquidity and a Catalyst for Micro-Merchant Digitization. Providing instant working capital at the point of trade prevents business interruptions, boosts inventory turnover, and increases daily transaction velocity across urban and rural markets.

From a macroeconomic perspective, the initiative highlights the Sovereignty of Digital Financial Inclusion and Bottom-Up Enterprise COMMAND. Empowering micro-entrepreneurs with automated, collateral-free credit strengthens grassroots commercial resilience, reduces reliance on informal predatory lenders, and solidifies Kenya’s position as a global pioneer in mobile financial technology on self-reliant terms.

Opportunities

• B2B Supply Chain Digitization, FMCG Distribution & Merchant Payments: High commercial scope for FMCG manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers to integrate Pochi merchant payment APIs for instant supply chain settlements.

• FinTech Credit Analytics, Alternative Scoring & Risk Engines: Substantial demand for data analytics providers and risk-tech developers to build advanced credit scoring algorithms for micro-enterprise lending.

• Merchant Engagement, Financial Literacy & Tech Adoption: Openings for business development advisories, SACCOs, and trade associations to deliver financial literacy and digital inventory management training to Pochi merchants.

• Embedded Finance, Micro-Insurance & Enterprise Tech Solutions: Project opportunities for insurtechs and software developers to package micro-insurance (health, stock protection) and digital bookkeeping tools into the Pochi Mini App framework.

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