Tanzania pays by phone. The businesses that benefit most are the ones that connect those payments to their invoicing, stock and accounts.
TIPS: instant payments between providers
The Bank of Tanzania built the Tanzania Instant Payment System (TIPS) as a single platform linking banks and mobile money providers, so payments can move between them in real time without separate agreements between each pair of providers. It was introduced in phases, starting with person-to-person and person-to-business payments.
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More about national payment systems is on the Bank of Tanzania website.
ZanMalipo: paying the Zanzibar government
In Zanzibar, government payments go through ZanMalipo, the government payment gateway run by the e-Government Authority. Each bill gets a control number, which can be paid through banks and mobile money operators. Banks continue to join. For example, Diamond Trust Bank went live on ZanMalipo in April 2026, in partnership with the Zanzibar Revenue Authority.
The national Digital Economy Strategic Framework targets mobile money use above 70% nationwide.
The problem: payments that do not reach the books
Many businesses accept mobile money but still check payments by reading SMS messages, then type them into a spreadsheet. This causes:
- Delays in confirming orders.
- Errors and missing payments.
- Room for fraud, such as fake payment messages.
- Hours of manual reconciliation every month.
What to integrate
- Issue a reference or control number for every invoice, so each payment matches a bill.
- Receive payment confirmations from your provider's system (API or callback), not from SMS screenshots.
- Update invoices, stock and customer accounts automatically.
- Send the customer an instant receipt.
- Produce daily reconciliation reports for finance.
Estimate the hours you could save with our automation savings calculator, and see how connected data feeds business intelligence dashboards.
Keep it secure
Payment systems are a target. Use separate accounts for each staff member, protect API keys, keep logs and review unusual refunds or reversals. Payment data is also personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act.
How Extrion can help
Extrion connects payment platforms to business systems, websites and apps, and builds the dashboards that show what has been paid. See our systems integration service or book a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
What is TIPS in Tanzania?
The Tanzania Instant Payment System, built by the Bank of Tanzania, links banks and mobile money providers on one platform so payments move between them in real time.
What is a ZanMalipo control number?
It is a unique reference issued for a Zanzibar government bill, which can then be paid through banks or mobile money operators connected to ZanMalipo.
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