For years, many people assumed that as payments went digital, the physical payment terminal would fade away. Instead, it is evolving. This month, Safaricom and Pesapal began rolling out tap-to-pay and dynamic QR codes on Pesapal’s POS devices, so customers can pay by tapping an NFC-enabled phone or scanning a code on the terminal. It is one example of a wider shift: the terminal isn’t disappearing, it’s becoming a smarter device that brings physical and digital payments together.
Policy is moving in the same direction. Kenya’s draft National Payment System Bill, 2026 is built around payment systems working together (interoperability), while encouraging innovation and strengthening consumer and data protection. You can read the draft Bill and policy on the Central Bank of Kenya’s website, and a law firm’s summary notes that public comments are due by 9 October 2026.
Accepting payments is getting easier. Managing them isn’t.
As more terminals take tap, QR, wallets and cards, simply being able to accept a payment will stop setting businesses apart. Customers will expect it.
The harder part comes after the customer pays. Every payment method creates its own confirmations, timing and reports. A faster checkout can leave you with a slower back office: more payments to match to the right customer, more pending items to chase, and a longer month-end reconciliation (checking that what you sold matches what you actually received).
Customers want choice. Finance teams want simplicity. A smooth checkout doesn’t guarantee a smooth back office.
What to ask about your payment setup
Instead of asking only which payment methods to offer, ask:
1. Can we accept all the payment methods our customers use on one platform?
2. Does every sale update our stock automatically?
3. Can we see sales and payments across all our branches in one place?
4. Could we reconcile at month end without opening five spreadsheets?
5. Is our data protected, with role-based access and an audit trail?
Where the advantage moves
As payment acceptance becomes standard, the advantage moves to clarity: what was sold, what was paid, what is
still pending and what is left in stock. The businesses that benefit most will be those that can see all of it in one
place.
That is the thinking behind Marasoft Pay’s Smart POS. It accepts M-Pesa, cards, bank transfers, mobile money and
cash in one system, updates inventory with every sale, and gives you real-time dashboards and reports across your
branches. For remote and online payments, Payment Links and Payment Solutions bring those payments into the
same picture.
The future of payments isn’t cashless. It’s frictionless, from the till to the back office. Want to see how Smart POS could work for your business? Request a demo.