Vodafone has struck an agreement with MoneyGram, the international money transfer service, so that M-Pesa users can receive remittance payments from users in foreign countries.

The deal means users in over 200 countries where MoneyGram has branches will be able to send money to friends or families who are M-Pesa subscribers.

Vodafone’s mobile money service is most associated with Kenya but it is also available in a further eight countries including India and Egypt. Additional countries are due to launch this year.

The new service will launch during the second quarter of this year, although Vodafone is not revealing the first markets. Remaining countries will follow throughout the year.

M-Pesa is associated with remittances in countries such as Kenya but these are domestic payments typically sent from migrant workers in the city to family in the countryside. The Moneygram deal extends this arrangement internationally.

Using Moneygram, subscribers can send money in three ways: handing over cash to one of its agents, or via the company’s website or its mobile app.