Vodacom Lesotho has launched a mobile investment platform that allows M-Pesa users to invest directly from their mobile wallets, as the telecom operator seeks to expand access to formal savings and investment products in the southern African country.
The service, called Tsetela, was developed with asset manager Stanlib Lesotho and enables eligible M-Pesa customers to invest, earn daily interest, check balances through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) and request withdrawals.
The launch comes as mobile money providers across Africa increasingly broaden their offerings beyond payments and remittances into savings, credit and investment products to deepen financial inclusion.
Vodacom Lesotho said Tsetela, which means “to invest” in Sesotho, extends M-Pesa beyond everyday transactions into wealth-building while giving customers access to regulated investment opportunities.
“Through the service, eligible individual M-Pesa customers and Mokhatlo Group Savings customers can invest directly from their wallets, earn daily interest, view their balances through unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) and request withdrawals, in line with applicable product terms, conditions and turnaround times,” the company said in a statement.
Vodacom Lesotho said making investment services available through M-Pesa would help remove longstanding barriers to formal investing, including distance, paperwork, perceived complexity and assumptions about high minimum investment requirements.
A representative from Lesotho’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Teboho Shelile, said innovation was strongest when supported by the private sector within an enabling regulatory framework.
“Tsetela is a commendable innovation that deserves support to ensure its stability, sustainability and long-term growth,” Shelile said.
He added that financial inclusion remained central to economic development.
“We therefore encourage Basotho to embrace this product and prioritize regulated financial solutions,” he said.
Vodacom Lesotho Chief Executive Mohale Ralebitso said broader access to financial services would allow more Basotho to participate in the economy and build long-term wealth.
He said customers could begin investing with as little as one Lesotho loti (about $0.06).
“Tsetela is being introduced at a level that is accessible and aligned with the means of our people,” Ralebitso said.
Stanlib Lesotho Managing Director Mohlabinyane Mohapi said traditional investment channels had excluded many people because of bank account requirements and high minimum investment thresholds.
Mohapi said Tsetela was designed to remove those barriers and deepen financial inclusion in Lesotho.
Faustine Ngila is the AI Editor at Impact Newswire, based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is an award-winning journalist specializing in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and emerging technologies.
He previously worked as a global technology reporter at Quartz in New York and Digital Frontier in London, where he covered innovation, startups, and the global digital economy.
With years of experience reporting on cutting-edge technologies, Faustine focuses on AI developments, industry trends, and the impact of technology on society.
Khadija Sharife (South Africa/International)
Most Impactful Work: Her investigations for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and contributions to books like “Tax Us If You Can: Why Africa Should Stand Up for Tax Justice.”
Short Bio: An award-winning investigative journalist and senior editor for Africa at OCCRP, Khadija Sharife specializes in illicit financial flows, political economy, and environmental predation. Her work often uncovers complex international
corruption networks.
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