The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has finally approved the phasing out of physical airtime and data scratch cards.

This has been revealed in a letter addressed to all mobile companies in the country seen by this publication.

According to the regulatory body, the the decision follows stakeholder consultations and is part of a government initiative to promote digital transactions and limit cash usage.

“The phasing out of the scratch cards will also help Malawi save on forex used to import the scratch airtime cards.” reads part of the letter from MACRA.

MACRA will on April 30 2024 hold a joint press briefing with mobile service providers to formally communicate about the decision.