Conduit, a cross-border payments platform leveraging stablecoins, has announced a strategic partnership with Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, aimed at enhancing access to local payment methods and accelerating the adoption of digital and stablecoin-enabled transactions across more than 40 African countries.
The collaboration between Conduit and Onafriq is designed to strengthen the infrastructure supporting the growing adoption of digital and stablecoin-enabled payments throughout Africa. Onafriq, founded in 2010, is working towards a vision of real-time, interoperable trade across African currencies, enabling near-instant and programmable payments. The company has built a robust payment infrastructure, facilitating services such as cross-border payments, collections, card issuing and processing, agent banking, and FX and treasury services. Onafriq currently observes significant demand for stablecoin payment flows.
This partnership significantly expands Conduit’s presence in Africa by integrating its global stablecoin network with Onafriq’s extensive cross-border payment rails. As a direct result, more merchants are expected to gain reliable access to local payment methods. Onafriq will utilize Conduit’s infrastructure to streamline the onramping of payments in USDC, manage its global treasury through stablecoins, and execute same-day payments into multiple markets. This offers a substantial advantage over traditional options like SWIFT, which typically require days for settlement.
Kirill Gertman, co-founder and CEO of Conduit, commented on the partnership, stating, “Onafriq is a global poster child for the impact a fintech can have in a developing market, offering fast, reliable, and accessible money movement in Africa, which has not been served well by traditional banking options. Their impact is clear, and it can only be amplified by the power and potential of stablecoins. It is exciting to see a company of their scale recognize this, and we look forward to supporting their vision.”
Since launching its cross-border stablecoin platform in 2023, Conduit has identified a strong demand for its product in Africa. The company has experienced substantial momentum in the region, with the number of African customers transacting on its platform growing by 80% between Q3 and Q4 in 2025.
Luke Khohere, Onafriq’s Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer, added, “Conduit’s infrastructure will help us move toward streamlining our global treasury management through stablecoins and drive faster payouts for our customers. Onafriq is focused on building a foundation to power more seamless payments across all of Africa, and we believe stablecoins represent a massive stepchange in what is possible.”
Onafriq operates as an omnichannel payments hub, connecting 1 billion mobile money wallets and 500 million bank accounts across 40 African markets, alongside over 400,000 agents in Nigeria. Its robust presence includes 10 offices across Africa, with additional locations in the UK, US, and China, underlining its commitment to fostering financial access across the continent and beyond.
