Econet posts 38% revenue surge
...as digital ecosystem powers strong rebound
ROBIN PHIRI
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe has reported a powerful turnaround for the half year to September 2025, recording a 38% surge in revenue on the back of sharply rising data usage, expanding mobile money transactions, and strong growth across its insurance portfolio, a performance that positions the telecoms giant firmly back on a growth trajectory.
Board Chairman James Myers said the ZWG13.5 bn result reflected “higher demand across all major service lines,” adding that Econet’s recovery underscored the group’s resilience and sustained investment in digital innovation.
The mobile network operations segment remained the main revenue engine, contributing 82% of total income, while mobile financial services and insurance operations accounted for 14% and 4%, respectively.
Myers said the group’s fintech arm, EcoCash, continued to perform strongly, with transaction volumes rising 35% year-on-year.
“Our strategic initiative to expand mobile money accessibility anchored the growth in our mobile financial services footprint since August 2024, thereby enhancing customer access to our services,” he said.
“Ecolife achieved a 50% increase in individual life policies compared to the same period last year. Moovah and Maisha recorded growths of 31% and 63% respectively in total policyholders and membership compared to the same period last year.”
He said these gains demonstrated Econet’s commitment to offering “flexible and affordable coverage options that safeguard value for customers.”
The Group’s data and voice traffic also surged, driven by accelerated network upgrades.
“Data traffic doubled and voice traffic grew by 34% compared to the same period last year. This growth in traffic was enabled by the network modernisation exercise carried out by the business,” Myers said, noting that 12% of revenue had been invested into capital expenditure to strengthen network quality and coverage.
Looking to the future, the Econet board reaffirmed its focus on innovation-led growth, with Myers revealing that the company is now scaling up its deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) across the business to sharpen operational efficiency, boost cybersecurity, and elevate customer experience.
“Our strategic imperatives will continue to optimize capital investment and innovation to drive sustainable growth and value for our stakeholders. As we operate within highly regulated industries, we continue to work closely with industry bodies as well as relevant authorities to ensure a continued favourable operating environment,” Myers said.
He added that Econet’s diversified digital ecosystem, spanning telecoms, fintech, and insurance, positions the group to withstand economic pressures and capture future growth opportunities, supported by ongoing technology investment and a commitment to service excellence.
