Airtel Africa (LSE:AAF) reported a strong performance for the nine months ended 31 December 2025, reflecting sustained momentum across its telecoms and mobile money businesses. Total customers increased by 10% to 179.4 million, with data subscribers rising 14.6% to 81.8 million as smartphone penetration reached 48.1%. This supported a 16.6% increase in data ARPU, alongside higher average monthly data usage of 8.6GB. Airtel Money continued to scale rapidly, surpassing 52 million customers and processing more than $210bn in annualised transaction value during the third quarter, underpinned by wider ecosystem adoption and increased digital engagement. Mobile money ARPU also advanced on a constant-currency basis.
Financially, group revenue rose 24.6% in constant currency, or 28.3% on a reported basis, to $4.67bn, led by a 36.5% increase in data revenue and 29.4% growth in mobile money. EBITDA climbed 35.9% to $2.28bn, with margins expanding to 48.9% as operating leverage and cost efficiencies flowed through. Profit after tax more than doubled to $586m, benefiting from stronger operating performance and foreign exchange gains compared with the prior-year period, while basic earnings per share increased to 13.1 cents.
Investment activity also accelerated, with capital expenditure up 32.2% to $603m. Airtel added around 2,500 new sites and extended its fibre network beyond 81,500 kilometres, lifting population coverage to 81.7%. Improved EBITDA contributed to a reduction in leverage from 2.4x to 1.9x. Management highlighted continued progress on cost efficiency, expanding margins and the strong trajectory of Airtel Money ahead of a planned listing in the first half of 2026, reinforcing confidence in the group’s long-term growth and value creation across its African operations.
More about Airtel Africa Plc
Airtel Africa Plc is a leading telecommunications and mobile money provider operating in 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. The group offers mobile voice, data and financial services, with a strategy focused on expanding high-quality connectivity, increasing smartphone and broadband penetration, and leveraging its Airtel Money platform to drive financial inclusion and digital transformation across the region.
Leave a Reply