Airtel Africa plc has resgistered a strong financial performance for the nine-month period ending Dec. 31, 2025, driven by a growing customer base and increased adoption of data and mobile money services.
The company announced Friday that its total customer base grew by 10% to 179.4 million. Data customers saw a sharper increase of 14.6%, reaching 81.8 million, while smartphone penetration climbed to 48.1%.
Airtel Money reached two major milestones during the quarter, surpassing 50 million subscribers to reach 52 million. Additionally, the annualized total processed value for the third quarter exceeded $210 billion, a 36% increase.
Revenue for the period rose to $4.667 billion, an increase of 28.3% in reported currency and 24.6% in constant currency. The company attributed the growth to strong underlying business fundamentals and currency appreciation.
Data revenues were the primary contributor to group earnings, growing 36.5%, while mobile money revenues increased by 29.4% in constant currency.
Profit after tax improved significantly to $586 million, up from $248 million in the previous year. The company credited higher operating profit and $99 million in foreign exchange gains for the increase, a reversal from the $153 million in losses reported during the same period last year.
Basic earnings per share rose to 13.1 cents, compared to 4.4 cents in the prior period.
Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer of Airtel Africa, said the results reflect the success of the company’s investment in network coverage and data capacity.
“Our push to enhance financial inclusion across the continent continues to gain momentum,” Taldar said, adding that the company remains on track to list Airtel Money in the first half of 2026.
Capital expenditure increased by 32.2% to $603 million as the company expanded its infrastructure. Airtel added approximately 2,500 new sites and expanded its fiber network by 4,000 kilometers, bringing its total fiber footprint to more than 81,500 kilometers. Population coverage now stands at 81.7%.
The company also reported improved leverage, which dropped from 2.4x to 1.9x, supported by growth in EBITDA, which rose 35.9% to $2.283 billion.
Airtel Africa operates telecommunications and mobile money services in 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa.