Monetising Zoom calls through M-Pesa [Kenya]

With the popularity of Zoom during the coronavirus pandemic, it was just a matter of time till this service was in some way monetised on the user end. With cases on the rise and people looking for alternatives that limit the disruption of business, Safaricom’s M-Pesa seems to have struck on a solution for businesses and individuals to maximise their services.

In a report by Gadgets Africa, Webipesa allows individuals and organizations to charge a registration fee for Zoom meetings. Instead of users going through M-Pesa to make a payment and then the both parties having to confirm payment. A client will be directed to M-Pesa to complete the payment.

Upon completion of the payment, the attendee will receive information about the meeting as well as a link. To avoid any fraud or misconduct Webipesa creates a unique link for every registration. This link can only be used by the single attendee.

The requirements for this are as follows:

• The user must have a Zoom Pro Account
• There is no set up fee
• However, Webipesa charges a 10% usage fee for each transaction

The applications for this are far ranging and include, classes, tutorials, coaching, doctor’s consultations, and more.

Webipesa say that funds deposited for this service go straight to the individual or organisation’s Webipesa wallet. They can withdraw these funds within 24 hours.

All in all a pretty interesting approach. Integrating this service into Webipesa improves the efficiency of the whole transaction.

This will surely make it easier for businesses, professionals, and individuals that conduct business through consultations, as well as minimize disruption.