# Tanzania, United Republic of — payment codes and schemes

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TZ
> extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

## Summary

- **TANQR** national interoperable QR standard
- **TIPS** $11.6B processed (2024)
- **First interoperability** globally (2014)
- **83.2%** mobile-led market
- **99.85%** system availability

## Banking landscape

### Central Bank
- **Name:** Bank of Tanzania (BoT)
- **Website:** https://www.bot.go.tz/
- **Role:** Monetary policy, TANQR regulation

### Major Banks (2024)

| Rank | Bank Name | Type | Digital Platform |
|------|-----------|------|------------------|
| 1 | CRDB Bank | Local | CRDB SimBanking |
| 2 | NMB Bank | Local | NMB Mobile |
| 3 | NBC Bank | State | NBC Mobile |
| 4 | Stanbic Bank | International | Stanbic App |
| 5 | Exim Bank | Local | Exim Mobile |

### Market Structure
- **Mobile-led:** 83.2% market share
- **M-Pesa:** Vodacom dominant
- **Airtel Money:** Major competitor
- **Tigo Pesa:** Third provider

---

## Payment infrastructure

### National Payment Systems

| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|--------|----------|------|--------|
| TANQR | BoT | National QR | Active |
| TIPS | BoT | Instant | $11.6B (2024) |
| TISS | BoT | Interbank RTGS | Active |
| TACH | BoT | Clearing | Active |

### TIPS (Tanzania Instant Payment)
- $11.6 billion processed (2024)
- 2x previous year
- 46 admitted institutions
- Critical infrastructure

### System Availability (2024)
- TISS, TACH, TIPS
- 99.85% availability
- Excellent performance
- Reliable infrastructure

---

## QR code standards

### TANQR (Tanzania QR Code)

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Operator** | Bank of Tanzania |
| **Type** | Interoperable |
| **Adoption** | M-Pesa, banks |
| **Goal** | Unified payments |

### TANQR Features
- Interoperable across providers
- Full payment integration
- Customer convenience
- Enhanced security
- Reduced transaction costs

### M-Pesa QR

| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Provider** | Vodacom |
| **Features** | Gov, merchant, agent |
| **Payments** | QR code based |
| **TANQR** | Adopted |

### M-Pesa QR Uses
- Government payments
- Merchant payments
- Agent withdrawals
- QR code scanning

---

## Mobile payment apps

| App | Provider | QR | Features |
|-----|----------|-------|----------|
| M-Pesa Tanzania | Vodacom | Yes | TANQR |
| Airtel Money | Airtel | Yes | Interop |
| Tigo Pesa | Tigo | Yes | Interop |

### M-Pesa Tanzania
- TANQR adopted
- Government payments
- Merchant payments
- Agent services
- Dominant platform

### Mobile Money Leadership
- 83.2% mobile-led market (2024)
- Large infrastructure
- Vast agent distribution
- Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo

### Interoperability Pioneer
- First country globally (2014)
- Cross-platform transfers
- BoT facilitation
- Industry collaboration

---

## Schemes

| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [TANQR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TZ/tanqr) | National QR | Interop | Active | [`tanqr`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/tanqr) |
| [TIPS](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TZ/tips) | Instant | BoT | $11.6B | [`tips`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/tips) |
| [M-Pesa QR](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TZ/m-pesa-qr) | Mobile QR | App | 83.2% | [`m-pesa-qr`](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/m-pesa-qr) |

## Sources

- [TransFi - Tanzania Payment Rails](https://www.transfi.com/blog/tanzanias-payment-rails-how-they-work---mobile-money-interoperability-bank-transfers-qr-codes)
- [BoT - Payment Systems Report 2022](https://www.bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Annual%20Report/en/2024020511594863.pdf)
- [BoT - Payment Systems Report 2024](https://bot.go.tz/Publications/Regular/Annual%20Report/en/2025032515311662.pdf)
- [IFC - Mobile Money Evolution Tanzania](https://www.ifc.org/content/dam/ifc/doc/2024/evolution-of-the-mobile-money-payment-market-in-tanzania.pdf)
- [IMARC - Tanzania Mobile Money Market](https://www.imarcgroup.com/tanzania-mobile-money-market)
- [CGAP - Tanzania Interoperability](https://www.cgap.org/blog/how-tanzania-established-mobile-money-interoperability)
- [Google Play - M-Pesa Tanzania](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details/M_Pesa_Tanzania?id=com.vodafone.mpesa.tanzania)
- [Reuben Mars - BoT Playbook](https://reubenmars.substack.com/p/the-bank-of-tanzanias-playbook-push)

## Full country report

[TZ-tanzania.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/TZ)