Catenaa, Saturday, June 28, 2025-Global payments giant Visa has partnered with Africa-focused crypto firm Yellow Card to expand stablecoin-based payment infrastructure across the continent, beginning with an initial rollout in one African nation later this year.
Yellow Card, which operates in 20 African countries, confirmed the deal Thursday. The partnership aims to enable faster, lower-cost cross-border transactions using USDC and other digital dollar assets. Additional markets are expected to join in 2026.
Chris Maurice, Yellow Card’s CEO, said the partnership will integrate blockchain payments into broader financial systems. “Visa sells to virtually every bank in the world, so it opens up opportunities to work with institutions that can benefit most from this technology,” he said.
Founded in 2016, Yellow Card launched in Nigeria in 2019 and has since processed more than $6 billion in transactions. It is the first licensed stablecoin payments provider on the continent and focuses on expanding access to digital dollars.
The new venture will also explore improving liquidity management and treasury functions. Stablecoin adoption is rising across Africa due to currency depreciation and limited dollar availability, data from Chainalysis shows.
The regulatory landscape is also evolving. Kenya’s proposed Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill has been called a regional benchmark. Other countries, including Mauritius, Botswana and members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, have formalized crypto legislation.
Separately, Circle and Onafriq, Africa’s largest payments network, are piloting USDC settlements across the region. Onafriq’s reach includes over 500 wallets and 200 million bank accounts.
As stablecoins claim a growing share of Africa’s crypto market, Visa and Yellow Card’s move positions them at the center of the continent’s digital finance transformation.
