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Airtel Africa Profit Surges 147% to $813M on Data, Mobile Money Boom

Airtel Africa reported a 147.4% surge in profit after tax to $813 million for FY26. Revenue rose 29.5% to $6.41 billion, driven by strong growth in data and mobile money services. The customer base expanded 10.5% to 183.5 million, with data customers increasing 14.8%. CEO Sunil Taldar highlighted the role of digital technologies and AI in driving growth.

Key Points: Airtel Africa FY26 Profit Jumps 147% to $813M

  • Profit after tax jumps 147.4% to $813M
  • Revenue rises 29.5% to $6.41B
  • Customer base grows 10.5% to 183.5M
  • Mobile money customers up 21.3% to 54.1M
2 min read

Airtel Africa FY26 profit surges to $813m, revenue rises 29.5% on strong data, mobile money growth

Airtel Africa reports FY26 profit of $813M, revenue up 29.5% to $6.41B, driven by strong data and mobile money growth across sub-Saharan Africa.

"This year delivered a very strong performance across both operating and financial metrics - Sunil Taldar"

Airtel Africa F, Y26

profit surges to $813m, revenue rises 29.5% on strong data, mobile money growth

New Delhi [India], May 8 (ANI): Airtel Africa on Friday reported a strong financial and operational performance for the year ended March 31, 2026, with reported revenue rising 29.5 per cent year-on-year to USD 6.41 billion, driven by growth in data and mobile money services across its markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

The company's profit after tax jumped 147.4 per cent to USD 813 million during FY26, compared to USD 328 million in the previous year. Basic earnings per share stood at 18.6 cents against 6 cents a year ago.

Airtel Africa said its customer base increased 10.5 per cent to 183.5 million, while data customers rose 14.8 per cent to 84.2 million. Smartphone penetration improved to 49.5 per cent during the year.

Data usage per customer increased to 8.9 GB per month from 7 GB in the previous year, supporting constant currency growth of 16.2 per cent in data average revenue per user (ARPU).

Mobile money continued to remain a key growth driver, with the customer base rising 21.3 per cent to 54.1 million.

Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer of Airtel Africa, said, "This year delivered a very strong performance across both operating and financial metrics, reflecting the attractive industry fundamentals and structural growth drivers across our footprint."

He added, "Adoption of new digital technologies and AI has been pivotal in unlocking growth opportunities and driving efficiencies."

On Airtel Money, Taldar said, "Customer engagement continues to deepen, with app transacting customers up 74% and annualised TPV of over USD 215bn in Q4'26."

The company stated that market conditions following recent geopolitical developments have affected the expected timing of the Airtel Money IPO, but it remains committed to pursuing the listing in the second half of 2026, subject to market conditions.

During the year, Airtel Africa rolled out more than 3,250 new sites and expanded its fibre network by around 3,200 kilometres to 81,900 kilometres. Capex for FY26 increased 31.9 per cent to USD 884 million, while the company has guided for capex of around USD 1.1 billion in FY27.

The Board recommended a final dividend of 4.26 cents per share, taking the total dividend for FY26 to 7.1 cents per share, up 9.2 per cent year-on-year.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

J
James A
Impressive numbers from Airtel Africa. The mobile money growth is particularly striking – 21.3% customer base increase and app transacting customers up 74%. That's a real fintech success story in emerging markets. The IPO delay due to geopolitical issues is concerning, but the fundamentals look solid.
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Priya S
Good for Airtel, but I'm a bit skeptical. Our telcos make billions in Africa while Indian customers still deal with call drops and high prices. Wish they'd invest more in rural India connectivity rather than just chasing profits abroad. Still, nice to see an Indian company succeed globally! 🇮🇳
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Sarah B
Solid performance across the board. Data usage per customer at 8.9GB/month is impressive for African markets – shows growing digital adoption. The $215bn annualized TPV from Airtel Money is huge. Kenya's M-Pesa has competition!
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Vikram M
Excellent results! The 10.5% customer growth to 183.5 million shows Airtel is capturing market share effectively. But I'm worried about the capex guidance of $1.1 billion for FY27 – that's a big jump. Hope they maintain profitability while investing. Also, good to see AI adoption mentioned by the CEO. Technology is key!
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Kavya N
Happy for Airtel's success, but ₹1 lakh crore market cap company making only $813 million profit? That's just around 6% margin. They need to improve operational efficiency. Also, 183 million customers but only 54 million on mobile money – huge untapped potential there. The IPO delay is disappointing

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