Customers using the beU Delivery platform can now pay for food orders through M-PESA after the two companies integrated mobile money payments into the delivery service, in a move that reflects the growing shift toward digital transactions in Ethiopia’s app-based consumer market.

The partnership allows users to browse restaurants, place orders, and complete payments through the M-PESA mini-app or the beU Delivery mobile application, enabling fully cashless checkout across the platform. 

The companies said the integration provides real-time payment confirmation and instant order booking, removing the need for cash-on-delivery, which remains common in the local delivery business.

The feature is expected to reduce failed orders, speed up processing time, and improve payment reliability for customers, restaurants, and delivery riders operating on the platform.

beU Delivery, founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Hao Zheng, operates an on-demand delivery application connecting customers with restaurants and couriers in Addis Ababa. The startup began as a food delivery service and has been expanding into a wider online marketplace offering groceries, retail items, and other on-demand services as smartphone use and digital payments increase in urban areas.

The platform works with a network of restaurants and riders across the capital and is among a small but expanding group of local apps competing to build online commerce ecosystems in Ethiopia, where cash transactions still dominate everyday purchases.

Mobile money providers and local delivery platforms have increasingly been forming partnerships as Ethiopia pushes to expand electronic payments, with digital wallets expected to play a larger role in transport, retail, and online commerce in the coming years.