How to Send Money to Kenya from the US with Cash App

Bitnob just launched in Kenya and that means that it’s now a lot easier to send money to your loved ones in Kenya from the US. Plus, you’ll be able to do with in a way that’s fast, easy, and cheaper.

All you need is a Cash App account, while your loved one sets up their account on the Bitnob app. They’ll be able to receive the money you send them in Kenyan Shillings (KES) straight into their M-Pesa wallet.

Impressed?

Let me show you how to do it.         
 

The Gameplan on How to Send Money to Kenya From the US

Here’s the gameplan: 

First, the method we’ll be using to send money to your loved one in Kenya is bitcoin. We’ll send the bitcoin via the lightning network to make sure they receive the money quickly. You’ll also pay less in transaction fees. 

Plus, you can send money at any time of the day. Unlike banks, bitcoin doesn’t have closing hours. 

Next, is to have the receiver set their payouts so that the bitcoin you send to them gets sent directly to their M-Pesa wallet in KES. 

The whole process will take only a few minutes. 

Before you start the who process make sure that they’ve downloaded the Bitnob app and completed their registration. 

Preparing to Receive Bitcoin into M-Pesa as Kenyan Shillings (KES)

Bitnob’s Payout feature allows your loved one to receive the bitcoin you send to them to be settled in BTC, USD, split between BTC and USD, and in Kenyan Shillings.

They can access the payouts feature by clicking on the Settings button in the quick links section of the homepage and tapping on Payouts under the payment option.

        
This will reveal the 3 different types of Payout options on the app:

• Auto Payout
• Split Payout, and 
• Direct Payout

Next, tap on the Direct Payout option. This allows you to add a bank or mobile money account (if you’re in Ghana and Kenya) to receive the bitcoin that was sent to your bitcoin address in fiat directly to your bank/mobile money account.

       
Tap on Mobile Money. 

If your loved one hasn’t added their M-Pesa wallet to the Bitnob app yet, they should tap on the “Add Account” option. Once they’ve done that, they should fill in their M-Pesa details and tap on Connect. 

If they had previously set up their M-Pesa, all they need to do is to tap on the account and the Direct Payout would be set up.         

Preparing to Receive Bitcoin with Bitnob

Like I said earlier, your loved one in Kenya will have to send you a lightning invoice with the amount you intend to send them. 

Here’s how they can send you a lightning invoice using the Bitnob App:        
Step 1: They should tap on Receive in the quick links section of the home page.     

Step 2: Then they should tap on "Receive via Lightning" and input the transaction details and also the description. Once done, they should tap on "Create Invoice".

Step 3: A QR code will appear with the lightning invoice below. They should tap on the copy button and send you the lightning invoice they copied. Another alternative is to click on the “Share” button to send it to you.

Preparing to Send Money Using Cash App

Once you’ve received the lightning invoice, copy the lightning address. Now that you have the lightning address, it’s time to send the money using your Cash App.         

Step 4: Buy bitcoin on Cash App

On the homepage, tap the B at the bottom right corner of the screen. Then tap on the buy button. 

       
Cash App already has some pre-set amounts but if you want to buy more bitcoin than what you have showing on your screen just tap on the 3 dots (...).        

Once you’ve selected how much bitcoin you want to buy click on Next.

Step 6: Confirm your bitcoin purchase

The next thing you see is a summary of the transaction you’re about to make. Review your transaction and if you’re happy with it click on Confirm. 

Step 7: Send bitcoin

The next step is to send bitcoin to the bitcoin wallet of your friend or relative in Kenya. To this, click on the send button on the right.

Step 8: Type out how much you want to send and tap Send

Step 9: Paste the lightning address you got from your family member or friend and tap Next and confirm the transaction with your pin. 

Step 10: Select your withdrawal speed. 

Step 11: Review your transaction summary and click on Confirm & Send to confirm withdrawal to external wallet        

And you’re done! You’ve successfully sent bitcoin to your friend or relative.

In a couple of minutes, your loved one in Kenya would have received the money to sent them in KES straight in their M-Pesa. 

Pretty cool, right?

With bitcoin and the lightning network you can easily send money to your loved ones in Kenya. Get started by downloading Bitnob here. 

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