diff --git a/.pull_request/pr-105-description.md b/.pull_request/pr-105-description.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9f57ecb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.pull_request/pr-105-description.md
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# feat: implement mobile money callback signature verification (#105)
+
+## Summary
+
+Adds provider-specific callback signature verification for MTN MoMo and Airtel Money inbound webhook callbacks. Unverified callbacks are rejected with HTTP 403 and logged as security anomaly events.
+
+## Changes
+
+### MTN MoMo (`src/middleware/mtnCallbackSignature.ts`)
+- Fixed response code: unverified callbacks now return **403 Forbidden** (was 401) per acceptance criteria
+- HMAC-SHA256 verification using `MTN_CALLBACK_SECRET` (subscription key) on the `X-Callback-Signature` header
+- Supports both `sha256=` prefixed hex and plain base64 signature formats
+- Timing-safe comparison via `timingSafeEqual`
+- All rejection paths log a `security.anomaly` event with reason code
+
+### Airtel Money — new
+
+| File | Description |
+|---|---|
+| `src/middleware/airtelCallbackSignature.ts` | New middleware — validates `Authorization: Bearer {token}` against `AIRTEL_CALLBACK_SECRET` using `timingSafeEqual`. Missing = 403. Invalid = 403. Unconfigured = 500. All failures logged as security anomalies. |
+| `src/routes/airtelCallbacks.ts` | New router — `ingestRateLimiter` → `verifyAirtelCallbackSignature` → `POST /callback` → `{ status: "accepted" }` |
+| `src/config/appConfig.ts` | Added `providers.airtel.callbackSecret` config entry (env: `AIRTEL_CALLBACK_SECRET`) |
+| `src/index.ts` | Mounted Airtel callback router at `app.use("/api/airtel", airtelCallbacksRouter)` |
+
+### Tests
+
+| File | Tests |
+|---|---|
+| `src/middleware/__tests__/airtelCallbackSignature.test.ts` | 5 unit tests: unconfigured secret (500), missing header (403), non-Bearer scheme (403), valid token (200), wrong token (403) |
+| `src/routes/__tests__/airtelCallbacks.test.ts` | 4 integration tests via supertest: valid bearer (200), missing auth (403), wrong token (403), Basic scheme (403) |
+| `src/middleware/__tests__/mtnCallbackSignature.test.ts` | Updated — expect 403 instead of 401 |
+| `src/routes/__tests__/mtnCallbacks.test.ts` | Updated — expect 403 instead of 401 |
+
+## Environment Variables Required
+
+```env
+MTN_CALLBACK_SECRET=<mtn-subscription-key-or-hmac-secret>
+AIRTEL_CALLBACK_SECRET=<airtel-shared-secret-token>
+```
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- ✅ MTN MoMo callbacks validate `X-Callback-Signature` header using HMAC-SHA256 with subscription key
+- ✅ Airtel callbacks validate `Authorization: Bearer` token against expected shared secret
+- ✅ Unverified callbacks return 403 and are logged as security events
+- ✅ Verification logic is unit tested with known valid and invalid signature vectors
+
+closes #105
diff --git a/src/config/appConfig.ts b/src/config/appConfig.ts
index af17dcce..2fab4953 100644
--- a/src/config/appConfig.ts
+++ b/src/config/appConfig.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@ export const configSchema = convict({
         default: 1000000,
         env: "AIRTEL_MAX_AMOUNT",
       },
+      callbackSecret: {
+        doc: "Airtel callback shared secret for verifying incoming callbacks",
+        format: String,
+        default: "",
+        env: "AIRTEL_CALLBACK_SECRET",
+      },
     },
     orange: {
       minAmount: {
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index d95a5bfc..f5880497 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ import { privacyRoutes } from "./routes/privacy";
 import { developerDashboardRoutes } from "./routes/developerDashboard";
 import { travelRuleRoutes } from "./routes/travelRule";
 import mtnCallbacksRouter from "./routes/mtnCallbacks";
+import airtelCallbacksRouter from "./routes/airtelCallbacks";
 import sep31Router from "./stellar/sep31";
 import sep24Router from "./stellar/sep24";
 import sep38Router from "./stellar/sep38";
@@ -372,6 +373,7 @@ app.use("/api/disputes", disputeRoutes);
 app.use("/api/stats", statsRoutes);
 app.use("/api/contacts", contactsRoutes);
 app.use("/api/mtn", mtnCallbacksRouter);
+app.use("/api/airtel", airtelCallbacksRouter);
 app.use("/api/reports", reportsRoutes);
 app.use("/api/fees", feesRoutes);
 app.use("/api/users", userRoutes);
diff --git a/src/middleware/__tests__/airtelCallbackSignature.test.ts b/src/middleware/__tests__/airtelCallbackSignature.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2301bbec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/middleware/__tests__/airtelCallbackSignature.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+import { NextFunction, Request, Response } from "express";
+
+// Mock appConfig before importing the middleware
+const mockGetConfigValue = jest.fn();
+jest.mock("../../config/appConfig", () => ({
+  getConfigValue: mockGetConfigValue,
+}));
+
+// Mock logger
+const mockLogSecurityAnomaly = jest.fn();
+jest.mock("../../services/logger", () => ({
+  getCurrentRequestIp: jest.fn(() => "1.2.3.4"),
+  logSecurityAnomaly: mockLogSecurityAnomaly,
+}));
+
+import { verifyAirtelCallbackSignature } from "../airtelCallbackSignature";
+
+const SECRET = "test-airtel-secret-token";
+
+function makeReq(overrides: Partial<Request> = {}): Request {
+  return {
+    headers: {},
+    body: {},
+    method: "POST",
+    originalUrl: "/api/airtel/callback",
+    url: "/api/airtel/callback",
+    ...overrides,
+  } as unknown as Request;
+}
+
+function makeRes(): Response {
+  const res: Partial<Response> = {};
+  res.status = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(res);
+  res.json = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(res);
+  return res as Response;
+}
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  jest.clearAllMocks();
+  mockGetConfigValue.mockImplementation((key: string) => {
+    if (key === "providers.airtel.callbackSecret") return SECRET;
+    return undefined;
+  });
+});
+
+describe("verifyAirtelCallbackSignature", () => {
+  describe("secret not configured", () => {
+    it("returns 500 and logs anomaly when secret is missing", async () => {
+      mockGetConfigValue.mockImplementation((key: string) => {
+        if (key === "providers.airtel.callbackSecret") return "";
+        return undefined;
+      });
+
+      const req = makeReq();
+      const res = makeRes();
+      const next: NextFunction = jest.fn();
+
+      await verifyAirtelCallbackSignature(req, res, next);
+
+      expect(res.status).toHaveBeenCalledWith(500);
+      expect(res.json).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        error: "Airtel callback verification not configured",
+      });
+      expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockLogSecurityAnomaly).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({ reason: "airtel_callback_secret_not_configured" }),
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("missing Authorization header", () => {
+    it("rejects with 403 when Authorization header is absent", async () => {
+      const req = makeReq({ headers: {} });
+      const next: NextFunction = jest.fn();
+
+      await expect(
+        verifyAirtelCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
+
+      expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockLogSecurityAnomaly).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({ reason: "airtel_callback_token_missing" }),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("rejects with 403 when Authorization header is not Bearer", async () => {
+      const req = makeReq({ headers: { authorization: "Basic abc123" } });
+      const next: NextFunction = jest.fn();
+
+      await expect(
+        verifyAirtelCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
+
+      expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("valid token", () => {
+    it("calls next() for a valid bearer token", async () => {
+      const req = makeReq({
+        headers: { authorization: `Bearer ${SECRET}` },
+      });
+      const next: NextFunction = jest.fn();
+
+      await verifyAirtelCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next);
+
+      expect(next).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockLogSecurityAnomaly).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("invalid token", () => {
+    it("rejects with 403 for a wrong bearer token", async () => {
+      const req = makeReq({
+        headers: { authorization: "Bearer wrong-token-value" },
+      });
+      const next: NextFunction = jest.fn();
+
+      await expect(
+        verifyAirtelCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
+
+      expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockLogSecurityAnomaly).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({ reason: "airtel_callback_token_invalid", headerPresent: true }),
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/middleware/__tests__/mtnCallbackSignature.test.ts b/src/middleware/__tests__/mtnCallbackSignature.test.ts
index 2476308a..8668540c 100644
--- a/src/middleware/__tests__/mtnCallbackSignature.test.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/__tests__/mtnCallbackSignature.test.ts
@@ -83,13 +83,13 @@ describe("verifyMtnCallbackSignature", () => {
   });
 
   describe("signature header missing", () => {
-    it("throws 401 and logs anomaly when no signature header is present", async () => {
+    it("throws 403 and logs anomaly when no signature header is present", async () => {
       const req = makeReq({ headers: {} });
       const next: NextFunction = jest.fn();
 
       await expect(
         verifyMtnCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
-      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "UNAUTHORIZED" });
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
 
       expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
       expect(mockLogSecurityAnomaly).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ describe("verifyMtnCallbackSignature", () => {
   });
 
   describe("invalid signatures", () => {
-    it("throws 401 for a tampered payload", async () => {
+    it("throws 403 for a tampered payload", async () => {
       const rawBody = Buffer.from(PAYLOAD);
       const sig = hmacBase64("different-payload", SECRET);
       const req = makeReq({
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ describe("verifyMtnCallbackSignature", () => {
 
       await expect(
         verifyMtnCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
-      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "UNAUTHORIZED" });
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
 
       expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
       expect(mockLogSecurityAnomaly).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ describe("verifyMtnCallbackSignature", () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it("throws 401 for a wrong secret", async () => {
+    it("throws 403 for a wrong secret", async () => {
       const rawBody = Buffer.from(PAYLOAD);
       const sig = hmacBase64(PAYLOAD, "wrong-secret");
       const req = makeReq({
@@ -195,12 +195,12 @@ describe("verifyMtnCallbackSignature", () => {
 
       await expect(
         verifyMtnCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
-      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "UNAUTHORIZED" });
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
 
       expect(next).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
-    it("throws 401 for a signature with mismatched length", async () => {
+    it("throws 403 for a signature with mismatched length", async () => {
       const rawBody = Buffer.from(PAYLOAD);
       const req = makeReq({
         headers: { "x-callback-signature": "short" },
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ describe("verifyMtnCallbackSignature", () => {
 
       await expect(
         verifyMtnCallbackSignature(req, makeRes(), next),
-      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "UNAUTHORIZED" });
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: "FORBIDDEN" });
     });
 
     it("logs anomaly with headerPresent=true for invalid signature", async () => {
diff --git a/src/middleware/airtelCallbackSignature.ts b/src/middleware/airtelCallbackSignature.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3338490f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/middleware/airtelCallbackSignature.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import { timingSafeEqual } from "crypto";
+import { NextFunction, Request, Response } from "express";
+import { getConfigValue } from "../config/appConfig";
+import { getCurrentRequestIp, logSecurityAnomaly } from "../services/logger";
+import { ERROR_CODES } from "../constants/errorCodes";
+import { createError } from "./errorHandler";
+
+function getAirtelCallbackSecret(): string {
+  const secret = getConfigValue("providers.airtel.callbackSecret");
+  return String(secret ?? "").trim();
+}
+
+function extractBearerToken(req: Request): string | undefined {
+  const authHeader = req.headers["authorization"] as string | undefined;
+  if (!authHeader) return undefined;
+  const parts = authHeader.split(" ");
+  if (parts.length === 2 && parts[0].toLowerCase() === "bearer") {
+    return parts[1];
+  }
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+function buildAirtelFailureEvent(
+  req: Request,
+  reason: string,
+  headerPresent: boolean,
+): void {
+  logSecurityAnomaly({
+    event: "security.anomaly",
+    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
+    path: req.originalUrl || req.url,
+    method: req.method,
+    ip: getCurrentRequestIp(req),
+    reason,
+    provider: "airtel",
+    headerPresent,
+  });
+}
+
+export async function verifyAirtelCallbackSignature(
+  req: Request,
+  res: Response,
+  next: NextFunction,
+): Promise<void> {
+  const callbackSecret = getAirtelCallbackSecret();
+
+  if (!callbackSecret) {
+    buildAirtelFailureEvent(req, "airtel_callback_secret_not_configured", false);
+    res.status(500).json({ error: "Airtel callback verification not configured" });
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const token = extractBearerToken(req);
+
+  if (!token) {
+    buildAirtelFailureEvent(req, "airtel_callback_token_missing", false);
+    throw createError(ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN, "Forbidden", {
+      error: "Forbidden",
+    });
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const expectedBuf = Buffer.from(callbackSecret);
+    const incomingBuf = Buffer.from(token);
+
+    const isValid =
+      expectedBuf.length === incomingBuf.length &&
+      timingSafeEqual(expectedBuf, incomingBuf);
+
+    if (!isValid) {
+      buildAirtelFailureEvent(req, "airtel_callback_token_invalid", true);
+      throw createError(ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN, "Forbidden", {
+        error: "Forbidden",
+      });
+    }
+
+    next();
+  } catch (error: any) {
+    // Re-throw structured errors (from createError) directly
+    if (error?.code === ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN) {
+      throw error;
+    }
+    buildAirtelFailureEvent(req, "airtel_callback_token_error", true);
+    throw createError(ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN, "Forbidden", {
+      error: "Forbidden",
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/middleware/mtnCallbackSignature.ts b/src/middleware/mtnCallbackSignature.ts
index 5a5da983..91113232 100644
--- a/src/middleware/mtnCallbackSignature.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/mtnCallbackSignature.ts
@@ -94,8 +94,8 @@ export async function verifyMtnCallbackSignature(
 
   if (!signature) {
     buildFailureEvent(req, "mtn_callback_signature_missing", false);
-    throw createError(ERROR_CODES.UNAUTHORIZED, "Unauthorized callback", {
-      error: "Unauthorized callback",
+    throw createError(ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN, "Forbidden", {
+      error: "Forbidden",
     });
   }
 
@@ -105,16 +105,16 @@ export async function verifyMtnCallbackSignature(
   try {
     if (!verifySignature(payload, signature, callbackSecret)) {
       buildFailureEvent(req, "mtn_callback_signature_invalid", true);
-      throw createError(ERROR_CODES.UNAUTHORIZED, "Unauthorized callback", {
-        error: "Unauthorized callback",
+      throw createError(ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN, "Forbidden", {
+        error: "Forbidden",
       });
     }
 
     next();
   } catch (error) {
     buildFailureEvent(req, "mtn_callback_signature_error", true);
-    throw createError(ERROR_CODES.UNAUTHORIZED, "Unauthorized callback", {
-      error: "Unauthorized callback",
+    throw createError(ERROR_CODES.FORBIDDEN, "Forbidden", {
+      error: "Forbidden",
     });
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/routes/__tests__/airtelCallbacks.test.ts b/src/routes/__tests__/airtelCallbacks.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6ae1c9da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/routes/__tests__/airtelCallbacks.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+jest.mock("../../config/appConfig", () => ({
+  getConfigValue: jest.fn((key: string) => {
+    if (key === "providers.airtel.callbackSecret") return "test-airtel-secret";
+    return undefined;
+  }),
+}));
+
+// Mock Redis for ingestRateLimiter
+jest.mock("../../config/redis", () => ({
+  redisClient: {
+    isOpen: false,
+    eval: jest.fn(),
+  },
+}));
+
+const request = require("supertest");
+const express = require("express");
+import airtelCallbacksRouter from "../airtelCallbacks";
+
+describe("Airtel Callback Signature Verification", () => {
+  const SECRET = "test-airtel-secret";
+  let app: express.Application;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    app = express();
+    app.use(express.json());
+    app.use("/api/airtel", airtelCallbacksRouter);
+    // Express error handler
+    app.use((err: any, req: any, res: any, next: any) => {
+      res.status(err.statusCode || err.status || 500).json({ error: err.message, code: err.code });
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("accepts a valid Airtel callback with correct bearer token", async () => {
+    const response = await request(app)
+      .post("/api/airtel/callback")
+      .set("Authorization", `Bearer ${SECRET}`)
+      .send({ status: "SUCCESS", transaction: { id: "tx-123" } })
+      .expect(200);
+
+    expect(response.body).toMatchObject({ status: "accepted" });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a callback with a missing Authorization header", async () => {
+    await request(app)
+      .post("/api/airtel/callback")
+      .send({ status: "SUCCESS" })
+      .expect(403);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a callback with an invalid bearer token", async () => {
+    await request(app)
+      .post("/api/airtel/callback")
+      .set("Authorization", "Bearer wrong-token")
+      .send({ status: "SUCCESS" })
+      .expect(403);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a callback with a non-Bearer auth scheme", async () => {
+    await request(app)
+      .post("/api/airtel/callback")
+      .set("Authorization", "Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz")
+      .send({ status: "SUCCESS" })
+      .expect(403);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/routes/__tests__/mtnCallbacks.test.ts b/src/routes/__tests__/mtnCallbacks.test.ts
index 0628192f..79a0f5cc 100644
--- a/src/routes/__tests__/mtnCallbacks.test.ts
+++ b/src/routes/__tests__/mtnCallbacks.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,14 @@ jest.mock("../../config/appConfig", () => ({
   }),
 }));
 
+// Mock Redis for ingestRateLimiter
+jest.mock("../../config/redis", () => ({
+  redisClient: {
+    isOpen: false,
+    eval: jest.fn(),
+  },
+}));
+
 const request = require("supertest");
 const express = require("express");
 import mtnCallbacksRouter from "../mtnCallbacks";
@@ -30,6 +38,10 @@ describe("MTN Callback Signature Verification", () => {
       }),
     );
     app.use("/api/mtn", mtnCallbacksRouter);
+    // Express error handler
+    app.use((err: any, req: any, res: any, next: any) => {
+      res.status(err.statusCode || err.status || 500).json({ error: err.message, code: err.code });
+    });
   });
 
   it("accepts a valid MTN callback signature", async () => {
@@ -50,9 +62,7 @@ describe("MTN Callback Signature Verification", () => {
     const response = await request(app)
       .post("/api/mtn/callback")
       .send({ status: "incoming" })
-      .expect(401);
-
-    expect(response.body).toEqual({ error: "Unauthorized callback" });
+      .expect(403);
   });
 
   it("rejects a callback with an invalid signature", async () => {
@@ -63,8 +73,6 @@ describe("MTN Callback Signature Verification", () => {
       .post("/api/mtn/callback")
       .set("X-Callback-Signature", invalidSignature)
       .send(payload)
-      .expect(401);
-
-    expect(response.body).toEqual({ error: "Unauthorized callback" });
+      .expect(403);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/routes/airtelCallbacks.ts b/src/routes/airtelCallbacks.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c25f943
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/routes/airtelCallbacks.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import { Router, Request, Response } from "express";
+import { verifyAirtelCallbackSignature } from "../middleware/airtelCallbackSignature";
+import { ingestRateLimiter } from "../middleware/ingestRateLimit";
+
+const router = Router();
+
+// Rate-limit ingest traffic before any heavier processing.
+router.use(ingestRateLimiter);
+
+// Validate Airtel Authorization bearer token before processing.
+router.use(verifyAirtelCallbackSignature);
+
+router.post("/callback", async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
+  // Future Airtel callback processing can be added here.
+  res.status(200).json({ status: "accepted" });
+});
+
+export default router;