Johannesburg: AfricUpdate – News Desk
Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, announced a strategic investment in Kotani Pay, an on-ramp/off-ramp infrastructure that connects Web3 users to local payment channels across Africa. This investment aims to empower people and businesses in Africa by allowing easy access to digital assets and lowering barriers to global financial participation.
Kotani Pay has established itself as a name in the African financial technology landscape, with a growing network and the ability to deliver solutions tailored to local market needs. Its infrastructure aligns with Tether’s broader mission to expand blockchain use cases, such as cross-border payments and digital asset management, provide extensive access to financial tools, and create systems that empower underserved communities to participate in the global economy.
By leveraging blockchain technology, Kotani Pay enables enterprises to manage international operations efficiently, offering businesses and individuals practical solutions to access global liquidity and transact with ease. This investment will make access to digital assets and cross-border payment systems seamless, addressing long-standing challenges faced by SMEs and corporates in emerging markets such as high transaction costs, long settlement times, and limited access to global financial networks.
Businesses and individuals previously excluded from the international financial system will gain direct access to the global economy, supported by blockchain-powered solutions that deliver stability, security, and efficiency. According to the Chainalysis regional report, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the smallest crypto economy. Still, its usage patterns reveal significant insights into grassroots usage and the increasing role of crypto in everyday financial activity.
Africa is witnessing a profound shift in how people access, use, and trust financial tools, with cryptocurrency becoming increasingly central to this transformation. In Sub-Saharan Africa, on-chain crypto transaction volume exceeded US$205 billion between July 2024 and June 2025, marking a 52% year-on-year increase, driven by retail usage and remittances. Key markets such as Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia lead the expansion in users and use cases.
This reflects more than speculative interest; it emerges from real needs in regions with high inflation, currency volatility, limited banking infrastructure, and large populations that are unbanked or underbanked. Tether and Kotani Pay are both committed to advancing the financial future of Africa by scaling access to blockchain-based tools that drive efficiency, transparency, and inclusion. This investment sets a new benchmark for how blockchain technology can transform individual daily life and business operations across the continent. Together, we aim to shape a more resilient and inclusive digital economy for Africa.
