Sending money from Canada to Kenya: the payments stack
Sending CAD 200 from Canada to Kenya cost 6.0% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 21 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Kenya typically run over PesaLink, KEPSS (RTGS); between now and the end of 2027 there are 8 weekdays when banks in Canada are closed but Kenya keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 6.0% of CAD 200 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.93% across 18 services |
| Banks | 12.41% across 3 services |
| Collect in Canada | Lynx, ACSS and USBE (EFT, pre-authorized debits, direct deposits), Interac e-Transfer for Business, Real-Time Rail (RTR) |
| Pay out in Kenya | PesaLink, KEPSS (RTGS), M-PESA B2C (Daraja API) |
What it costs to send CAD 200
The World Bank surveyed 21 services sending from Canada to Kenya from 19 August 2025 to 27 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 6.0% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.93% and banks 12.41%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: Canada
- Money services businesses operating in Canada, and foreign money services businesses that direct and provide services to clients in Canada, must register with FINTRAC before they begin to operate, even if they hold a provincial licence; FINTRAC charges no registration fee. source
- FINTRAC registration is valid for two years and must be renewed before expiry; changes such as a new representative for service in Canada must be reported within 30 days. source
- A foreign money services business must designate a representative for service who resides in Canada, and banks must confirm that a foreign money services business is registered with FINTRAC before opening an account for it. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from Canada.
The payout side: Kenya
| Payout partner | What it does in Kenya | Source |
|---|---|---|
| M-PESA Global (Safaricom) | M-PESA Global, Safaricom's international money transfer service, lets M-PESA customers receive money from abroad through partners including Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria, WorldRemit, Wave and Remitly. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Its network page lists Kenya among its African receive markets. | source |
| dLocal · our guide | Payouts V3 sends KES to bank accounts and to M-PESA, Airtel and Equitel wallets, funded in KES or USD, with remitter details required for P2P remittances. | source |
| Flutterwave · our guide | Sends KES to Safaricom M-Pesa, Airtel and T-Kash mobile money wallets from a Flutterwave balance, including cross-currency transfers debited from another currency wallet. | source |
| Fincra | Payout API sends KES to mobile money wallets and bank accounts, as local or cross-currency payouts. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Pays KES to mobile wallets and to bank accounts over PesaLink, in real time on all days including public holidays. | source |
| Onafriq | Its integration with the Yuno platform is live in Kenya, covering mobile money disbursements and collections and FX treasury services. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Kenya: launching payments in Kenya.
Payout rails in Kenya
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PesaLink | Integrated Payment Services Limited (IPSL), a Kenya Bankers Association subsidiary | Real-time account-to-account payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and public holidays. | source |
| KEPSS (RTGS) | Central Bank of Kenya | 07:00 to 19:00 on business days since 1 July 2025 (previously 08:30 to 16:30), closed at weekends and on public holidays. | source |
| M-PESA B2C (Daraja API) | Safaricom | Business-to-customer disbursements from a B2C shortcode, from KSh 10 up to KSh 250,000 per transaction, with recipients capped at KSh 500,000 a day and a KSh 500,000 balance. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 8 dates when Canada is closed and Kenya is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 7 dates when Kenya is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | Canada | Kenya | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Remembrance Day | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Christmas Day | Both closed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | New Year's Day | Both closed |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Open | Idd-ul-Fitr | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Good Friday | Both closed |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Open | Easter Monday | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 24 May 2027 | Victoria Day | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Tue 1 Jun 2027 | Open | Madaraka Day | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | Canada Day | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Tue 10 Aug 2027 | Open | General Election Day | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 6 Sep 2027 | Labour Day | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Thu 30 Sep 2027 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Thanksgiving | Mazingira Day (observed) | Both closed |
| Wed 20 Oct 2027 | Open | Mashujaa Day | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 29 Oct 2027 | Open | Diwali (Hindu faith only) | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 11 Nov 2027 | Remembrance Day | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Mon 13 Dec 2027 | Open | Jamhuri Day (observed) | Kenya banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (observed) | Boxing Day (observed) | Both closed |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Kenya the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
Full calendars: Canada and Kenya. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Lynx and the ACSS run Monday to Friday except statutory holidays. Remaining 2026 closures are Remembrance Day (Wednesday 11 November), Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and Boxing Day, observed on Monday 28 December, so CAD wires sent after Lynx closes on Thursday 24 December next settle on Tuesday 29 December. source
- Lynx regular payments run in Settlement Window 1 from 12:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET; the window from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET is reserved for interbank lending and repaying Bank of Canada intraday loans. source
- A licensed remittance provider can net off payments with counterparties at settlement, but all its foreign exchange flows must go through Kenyan commercial banks. source
- Customer funds for transmission go into a 'customers' account' held in the provider's name at a licensed commercial bank or microfinance bank. source
- KEPSS closes at weekends and on public holidays, so bank-funded top-ups wait for the next business day while PesaLink payouts continue. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in Canada, the payout partners and banks in Kenya and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Kenya balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from Canada to Kenya?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending CAD 200 at 6.0% in Q3 2025, across 21 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.93%.
Which rails pay out in Kenya?
Local payouts run over PesaLink, KEPSS (RTGS), M-PESA B2C (Daraja API).
When do I need to prefund Kenya payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 8 weekdays when Canada is closed and Kenya is open, the first on Wed 11 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- System closure schedule (2026) · Payments Canada
- High-value payment system: Lynx · Payments Canada
- Public Holidays Act (Cap. 110), revised edition · Kenya Law (National Council for Law Reporting)
- Extension of operating hours for KEPSS (press release) · Central Bank of Kenya
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.