Finjira leverages the power of M-PESA's ubiquitous SMS notifications to do the heavy lifting for you. As soon as you transact normally—whether sending money to a friend, paying a merchant, or receiving a payment—Finjira detects and logs it automatically. Here's a deeper look at what it captures:
Money sent to friends and family (P2P transfers): These are among the most frequent transactions in Kenya, often for school fees, rent contributions, or helping relatives. Finjira identifies the recipient (where possible from the message) and categorizes it thoughtfully.
Till and PayBill payments: Lipa na M-PESA Buy Goods (Till) for supermarket shopping, fuel, or small vendors, and PayBill for utilities like electricity (KPLC), water, TV subscriptions (DStv/GOtv), or even betting platforms. These often add up quickly but go unnoticed without tracking.
Lipa na M-PESA purchases: Everyday spends like buying groceries at your local mama mboga, paying for boda boda rides, or grabbing lunch at a kibanda.
Money received: Salary deposits, business payments, remittances from abroad via global corridors, or casual transfers from friends repaying loans.
Airtime purchases and bundles: Top-ups for your phone or data bundles, which many overlook as minor but accumulate significantly over time.
Pochi la Biashara transactions: For small business owners or side hustlers using the merchant wallet for separating business floats from personal funds—Finjira distinguishes these to help track business vs. personal cash flow.
The beauty is in the simplicity: Just continue using M-PESA as you always do—via *USSD (*334#), the mySafaricom app, STK push prompts, or QR codes—and Finjira handles the rest in the background. No need to forward messages, screenshot confirmations, or remember to log anything. This automation saves precious time and reduces human error, which is a major pain point in traditional expense tracking.