How do people in Zambia pay online?
Mobile money has grown fast. In a May 2026 presentation, the Bank of Zambia reported that mobile money transactions reached 4.9 billion in 2025, up from 750.5 million in 2020, and that their value rose to ZMW 891.6 billion from ZMW 105.8 billion. Active wallets doubled to 17 million and active agents reached 539,848. The share of adults using mobile money rose to 76.2%, from 58.4% in 2020 and 14.0% in 2015. For comparison, the regulator ZICTA had counted 11.2 million active mobile money subscriptions at the end of 2022.
MTN MoMo and Airtel Money are the telecom wallets a merchant would connect first. MTN Zambia’s MoMo covers sending and receiving money and bill payments, and customers can load it from a bank account or bank card. Airtel Africa reports Zambia inside its East Africa segment, which had 40.9 million Airtel Money customers in the year to March 2026, without a country breakdown. For an online shopper, paying usually means entering a phone number at checkout and approving the payment on the phone.
The central bank sets the rules for wallets. The Bank of Zambia supervises mobile money providers under the National Payment Systems Act of 2007, with directives on e-money issuance (2023) and on unwarranted charges and fees on e-money (2024), and E-Money Rules for the National Financial Switch, which connects providers. Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted alongside the wallets.
What rules shape online payments in Zambia?
Foreign sellers of electronic services charge VAT. The standard rate is 16%. The VAT (Amendment) Act No. 27 of 2023, in operation since 1 January 2024, defines cross-border electronic services as electronic services supplied in Zambia by a supplier resident or doing business outside the country, and takes them out of the reverse charge that applies to other imported services. The Zambia Revenue Authority’s Practice Note No. 1/2024 explains that a non-resident supplier must appoint a tax agent resident in Zambia and apply to register it, unless the Commissioner-General excludes the supplier on application.
Mobile money transactions carry a levy. The Mobile Money Transaction Levy Act, 2024 took effect on 1 January 2025 and is administered by the Zambia Revenue Authority. Revised bands apply from 1 January 2026, from ZMW 0.32 on transactions up to ZMW 150 to ZMW 8.00 on transactions of ZMW 5,001 to 10,000. Providers remit the levy within ten days after the end of each month.
Consumer law sets refund duties. The Competition and Consumer Protection Act No. 24 of 2010 was amended by Act No. 21 of 2023, passed on 26 December 2023. According to Corpus Legal Practitioners, a seller cannot charge more than the displayed price and must refund any difference, defective or unsuitable goods must be refunded within seven days or a reasonably agreed time, and owners of shops or platforms may not display disclaimers that deny consumer rights. Fines for enterprises can reach 10% of annual turnover.
Customer data has strict location rules. Under the Data Protection Act No. 3 of 2021, anyone who controls or processes personal data must register with the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, and certificates are valid for one year. Personal data must be processed and stored in Zambia unless the Minister prescribes categories that may be stored abroad, sensitive data must stay in the country, and a breach must be reported to the Commissioner within 24 hours.
How would Omno route payments in Zambia?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Zambia:
- MTN MoMo pay-ins would go to a provider that holds an MTN MoMo connection in ZMW, with the order pending until the customer approves the payment on their phone.
- Airtel Money pay-ins can sit next to MoMo in the hosted checkout, with a rule that sends each payment to a provider holding that wallet.
- Card pay-ins can be routed by BIN, with cascading: if a provider is unavailable or rejects the request, the payment moves to the next provider in the rule until one accepts.
- Amount and customer group rules can send larger orders, new customers or customers at a given verification level to the methods and providers the merchant chooses.
Webhooks would carry the final status of each payment, the record a back office should trust before shipping an order, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for two wallets. MTN MoMo and Airtel Money each need their own connection, and a checkout with only one misses customers on the other network.
Plan for approvals on the phone. A wallet payment waits for the customer, so orders need a pending state and a status check when no notification arrives.
Plan for VAT and the levy. A foreign seller of electronic services needs a tax agent in Zambia for VAT, and the mobile money levy adds a fixed amount to each transaction, set by value band.
Plan for local data storage. Register with the Data Protection Commissioner and check where customer data is processed and stored before launch.