specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: M-Pesa (Safaricom Daraja)
providerId: mpesa
created: '2026-07-17'
modified: '2026-07-17'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Mobile Money
- Payments
- Kenya
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of M-Pesa Daraja spend. The Daraja API carries no per-call fee; cost is
  the underlying M-Pesa transaction tariff per product (C2B collection, B2C
  disbursement, B2B transfer), billed in Kenyan Shillings (KES) and settled against the
  business shortcode float. Tariffs follow CBK-regulated bands and the merchant's
  commercial agreement, so cost is driven by transaction count, amount band, and
  product mix rather than by API usage.
notes: >-
  Per-transaction tariffs are commercial/regulated and not published as a fixed public
  rate card; reconcile against Safaricom merchant statements and CBK tariff bands.
sources:
- https://developer.safaricom.co.ke/
- https://www.safaricom.co.ke/business/sme/payment-solutions
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Safaricom
serviceCategory: Payments and Financial Services
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Per-Transaction
  billingCurrency: KES
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Tax
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: M-Pesa Daraja
  ServiceCategory: Payments and Financial Services
  ProviderName: Safaricom
  PublisherName: Safaricom
  InvoiceIssuerName: Safaricom
  BillingCurrency: KES
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: c2b_collection_transactions
  description: Inbound C2B / STK Push collection transactions, tariffed per amount band.
  unit: transactions
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - shortcode
  - product
  - amount_band
- name: b2c_disbursement_transactions
  description: Outbound B2C payouts (salary/business/promotion), tariffed per amount band.
  unit: transactions
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - shortcode
  - command_id
  - amount_band
- name: b2b_transfer_transactions
  description: Business-to-business transfers between shortcodes, tariffed per amount band.
  unit: transactions
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - shortcode
  - command_id
  - amount_band
- name: float_balance
  description: Working/available float on the business shortcode funding disbursements.
  unit: KES
  aggregation: last
  dimensions:
  - shortcode
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Reconcile M-Pesa statements and ResultURL callbacks per shortcode; track transaction count and tariff by product.
- name: Allocation
  description: Map shortcodes / paybills to business units and cost centers; tag Daraja apps per workload.
- name: Optimization
  description: Batch and net disbursements, keep float sized to demand, and choose the lowest-tariff product path for each payment type.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign an owner per shortcode; review transaction spend and failed/reversed transactions monthly.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com