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Smega international corridors: send pula to 6 African countries from a BTC wallet

BTC's Smega wallet in Botswana is the only one in the market to publish direct international corridors to six African countries from a mobile money account. No bank account or third-party remittance service needed.

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✓ Verified June 2026.Tariffs and USSD codes confirmed against operator sources. No government levy on mobile money.

Six international corridors from a Smega wallet

Smega is the only Botswana mobile money wallet that explicitly publishes direct international corridors to other African operators: EcoCash Zimbabwe, MTN / Airtel Zambia, Tigo / Airtel Ghana, M-Pesa Kenya, Airtel Malawi and M-Pesa Mozambique. That opens a way to send pula to the regional diaspora without routing through a bank intermediary.

How to use it

  1. Dial *173# to open the Smega menu, enter your PIN.
  2. Select the 'International' or 'Send Abroad' option.
  3. Pick the destination country (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique).
  4. Enter the recipient wallet number and the amount in pula.
  5. Confirm; the recipient wallet receives the FX conversion applied by Smega.

Fees and FX rate

Smega applies an international transfer fee per corridor (different from the domestic P 5.09 flat fee) and uses an operator FX rate that includes a margin over mid-market. The exact fee and rate are shown on screen before final confirmation — always check the total debited before validating.

Frequently asked questions

Does Smega charge the same P 5.09 fee for international sends?
No. The P 5.09 flat fee is for BTC-to-BTC domestic transfers. For Smega international sends, the fee and FX rate are calculated per corridor and shown on screen before final confirmation.
Does the recipient pay a fee on receipt?
It depends on the receiving operator (EcoCash Zimbabwe, M-Pesa Kenya, etc.) and their local cash-out schedule if the recipient withdraws cash. If the recipient keeps the balance on their wallet to pay a merchant directly, there's no receive fee on most wallets.
How long does a Smega international transfer take?
The transfer is typically instant to the receiving operator (the recipient gets a notification SMS within seconds), but cash availability depends on the receiving operator's agent network and their SLA.
Does Smega replace Western Union or MoneyGram for the diaspora?
For the six listed corridors, yes — often cheaper than a traditional remittance operator, especially on small daily amounts. For non-African corridors (US, UK, EU to Botswana), Western Union, MoneyGram and bank services remain the only options.

See also

Botswana hub
Botswana fees overview
Cash-out fees
USSD codes
Limits & KYC
Send from South Africa
USD → BWP rate