Zilligo Payments LTD, Mauritius File C215482

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Kenya

Cash out crypto in Kenya, all the way to M-Pesa.

We pay your PayPal within minutes, and you move it to M-Pesa from the M-Pesa app. Or use Payoneer for your bank, airtime for a prepaid line, or cash a relative collects.

See the best options Start a cashout
9Methods available here
From 1%Fee, shown first
KESLocal currency
Your orderRate held for 20 minutes
You send508.58

Zilligo fee, 1.5%
$7.50
Network fee
Paid by your wallet
Per order
$100 to $5,000
Cash out $500

An estimate at today's price. Your order page fixes the exact amount for 20 minutes.

The short answer

To cash out crypto in Kenya, choose PayPal as your payout: the money reaches your PayPal within minutes of your coins confirming, and Kenyan PayPal accounts can withdraw to M-Pesa in shillings. Freelancers who already use Payoneer can take that route to Equity, KCB or another bank instead. Airtime, Google Play codes, a virtual Visa and Western Union cash are there too. Our fees run from 1% to 2%, shown before you send.

Best options

What we would use in Kenya

Our shortlist in Kenya, most useful first.

  1. 1PayPal logo
    Best route to M-Pesa

    PayPal

    Lands in PayPal within minutes, then withdraw to M-Pesa from the M-Pesa app.

    Fee
    1.5%
    Per order
    $50 to $5k
  2. 2Payoneer logo
    Best for freelancers

    Payoneer

    Clients already pay you through Payoneer? Add crypto to the same balance and withdraw to your Kenyan bank.

    Fee
    1.5%
    Per order
    $50 to $5k
  3. 3Mobile Top-Up logo
    Best for airtime

    Mobile Top-Up

    Prepaid credit for a Kenyan number, from $50 to $300 an order, at a 1% fee.

    Fee
    1.0%
    Per order
    $50 to $300
  4. 4Western Union logo
    Best for cash

    Western Union

    Someone upcountry collects cash at an agent, usually the same day.

    Fee
    1.5%
    Per order
    $50 to $5k

Local context

M-Pesa is where the money should end up

In Kenya the finish line is almost always M-Pesa. The problem is the road there: most crypto routes into M-Pesa go through a P2P trade, where you release USDT to a stranger after a text message says they paid, and you hope the text is real.

Zilligo cannot pay M-Pesa directly yet, but PayPal can reach it. Link M-Pesa to your PayPal once, and every payout we send to PayPal is a few taps away from your phone wallet. PayPal converts dollars to shillings at its own rate, so check that rate on the withdrawal screen.

The rules are clearer than they were. The Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2025 brings crypto firms under licensing, and the Finance Act 2025 swapped the 3% digital asset tax for excise duty on the fees platforms charge. Tax on your own profits is a separate question, covered in the answers below.

Local bank payoutsPlanned

Payouts straight to M-Pesa, and to Kenyan banks over PesaLink, are planned, not live. Until then, PayPal withdraws to M-Pesa and Payoneer to banks such as Equity Bank, KCB and Co-operative Bank.

Equity BankKCB BankCo-operative Bank

Local payment systems: PesaLink, M-Pesa

Watch out

Common mistakes in Kenya

Save yourself a failed payout. These are popular elsewhere but usually do not work for people in Kenya.

P2P buyers who pay by M-Pesa text

Fake M-Pesa confirmation messages are the oldest trick in P2P. Releasing coins on a text, instead of on your real balance, is how people lose them.

Apple gift cards

We sell Apple codes for the US and India only, and neither redeems on an Apple account set to Kenya.

Cash App, Venmo and Chime

US-only apps that need a US identity and US bank details.

All options

All the ways to get paid in Kenya

Wallets

PayPal logoPayPal1.5%Payoneer logoPayoneer1.5%Skrill logoSkrill1.5%

Gift cards and cards

Visa Prepaid logoVisa Prepaid2.0%Google Play logoGoogle Play1.5%Steam logoSteam1.5%

Cash pickup

Western Union logoWestern Union1.5%MoneyGram logoMoneyGram1.5%

Phone credit

Mobile Top-Up logoMobile Top-Up1.0%

Local tips

Tips for cashing out in Kenya

  1. 1

    Link M-Pesa to PayPal before your first order

    Do it once in the M-Pesa app, so the payout is not sitting in PayPal while you set things up.

  2. 2

    Know the M-Pesa limits

    M-Pesa caps one transaction at KES 250,000 and a day at KES 500,000, so a big payout can take more than one withdrawal.

  3. 3

    Enter numbers with +254

    Drop the leading zero, so 0712 345 678 becomes +254 712 345 678. Ask whether the line is Safaricom, Airtel or Telkom, since numbers can move between them.

  4. 4

    Send USDT on Tron

    About $2 to $4 in network fees, and the coin keeps its dollar value while it confirms.

  5. 5

    Keep records for KRA

    Save each order page. If your crypto profits count as income, those pages show what you sold, when and for how much.

Questions

What people in Kenya ask us

Not sure which option suits you? Ask us, we usually reply within an hour.

How do I get USDT into M-Pesa?

Cash out to PayPal with Zilligo, then withdraw from PayPal to M-Pesa. The PayPal payout lands within minutes of your coins confirming. Direct M-Pesa payouts are planned.

What does crypto to M-Pesa cost?

Our PayPal fee is 1.5%: a $200 payout costs $3, so you send $203 in crypto plus the network fee. PayPal then applies its own exchange rate when you withdraw to M-Pesa, so compare it with what Payoneer offers your bank.

Is crypto legal in Kenya?

Yes. The Virtual Asset Service Providers Act 2025 sets up licensing for crypto businesses, with its detailed regulations still being prepared. Holding and selling your own crypto is legal.

Is crypto taxed in Kenya?

The 3% digital asset tax was dropped in 2025 and replaced with a 10% excise duty on the fees crypto platforms charge. Your profits can still be taxable as income. This is general information, not advice: keep records and check KRA's current guidance.

Can I buy Safaricom airtime with crypto?

Yes, for prepaid lines. Choose Mobile Top-Up, enter the number with +254 and send your coins. Orders run from $50 to $300, and the credit goes out within minutes of your coins confirming.

Can family collect cash in Kenya?

Yes. Name the person exactly as on their ID and choose Kenya as the pickup country. They collect at a Western Union or MoneyGram agent with that ID and the reference number, usually the same day.

Which gift cards work in Kenya?

Google Play codes for a Play account set to Kenya, and Steam codes, which convert to your Steam wallet currency when you redeem them.

Other countries

NigeriaIndiaPhilippinesIndonesiaVietnamTürkiyeAll countries

Ready when you are

Crypto in, shillings on your phone

Send your coins once, and the payout amount is locked before you do.

Start a cashout See fees

Orders from $50 on gift cards and top-ups, $100 on most payouts. Nothing moves until you send.

  1. 1Pick a payoutBank transfer, PayPal and other wallets, a card, a gift card or cash pickup.
  2. 2Send your coinsTo the one-time address on your order, before the 20 minute timer runs out.
  3. 3Get paidMost payouts arrive within minutes of your coins confirming.