Visa Begins Africa Stablecoin Payments Trial With M-PESA

Visa, M-PESA Africa and Onafriq have partnered to pilot stablecoin-enabled cross-border mobile money transactions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking a new effort to improve the speed, affordability and accessibility of international payments across Africa.

The pilot will explore how blockchain-based stable coins can be used to facilitate cross-border settlements, enabling users to send and receive money internationally with faster processing times and lower transaction costs than conventional banking channels.

Why Cross-Border Payments Remain a Challenge

The initiative comes as payment providers increasingly turn to blockchain technology to address persistent inefficiencies in cross-border transfers, including high fees, settlement delays and limited access to formal financial infrastructure. By integrating stablecoins into mobile money ecosystems, the partners aim to streamline international transactions while improving connectivity between African payment platforms and global financial networks.

Why the Democratic Republic of the Congo Was Chosen

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been selected as the first market for the pilot, reflecting the country’s growing role in digital financial innovation. The project will assess how stablecoin-backed settlements can support remittances and cross-border commerce while enhancing the overall efficiency of mobile money services.

What the Pilot Could Mean for Africa’s Payments Future

If the pilot delivers the expected results, the model could be expanded to additional African markets, providing a new approach to digital remittances and supporting greater financial inclusion for individuals and businesses that rely on mobile money for everyday transactions.

Visa’s Senior Vice-President and Head of Solutions, Godfrey Sullivan, said while mobile money has revolutionized domestic payments across Africa, cross-border remittances continue to face significant barriers, creating an opportunity for stablecoins to improve international transactions.

“Mobile money has achieved tremendous success and widespread adoption within domestic markets. However, challenges around cross-border remittances remain unresolved. Stablecoins have the potential to address these issues, and we expect they will increasingly be adopted by banks, fintechs and mobile network operators,” Sullivan noted.

How the Stablecoin Settlement Pilot Works

Speaking on the ongoing pilot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sullivan added that the initiative demonstrates how stablecoins can enhance payment infrastructure without changing the customer experience. Through a partnership with Onafriq, M-Pesa wallet top-ups are settled using stablecoins behind the scenes via Visa Pay, enabling faster and more efficient cross-border settlement while allowing customers to continue using mobile money exactly as they do today.

The collaboration also highlights the increasing interest among global payment companies and African fintech players in using blockchain-powered infrastructure to modernize international money transfers.

Furthermore, as demand for faster and more cost-effective cross-border payment solutions continues to grow, stablecoins are emerging as a potential tool for strengthening Africa’s digital payments ecosystem and connecting it more seamlessly to the global financial system.

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