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The inaugural Africa Stablecoin Summit 2025 has concluded in Johannesburg, bringing together more than 300 high-level leaders from across the continent and beyond to discuss the future of digital money in Africa. Supported by Tether, VISA, and Telcoin, the two-day event explored how stablecoins could reshape Africa’s financial systems, boost trade, and strengthen economic resilience.
Hosted by Chasing Mavericks and co-hosted by Kotani Pay, the summit took place under the theme “Harnessing Stablecoins for Africa’s Economic Resilience.” It drew participation from central banks, regulators, commercial banks, fintech innovators, stablecoin issuers, development partners, and blockchain infrastructure firms.
Delegates included representatives from the governments and central banks of Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and South Africa; as well as officials from the United Nations, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and other major ecosystem players.
Recent figures highlight the fast-rising adoption of stablecoins across the continent. According to an industry report by Yellow Card, stablecoins accounted for 43% of crypto transaction volume in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024, with Nigeria alone posting nearly USD 22 billion in stablecoin transactions between July 2023 and June 2024. A separate analysis by the Center for Global Development shows stablecoins represented about 6.7% of GDP in Africa and the Middle East in 2024 when measured through international stablecoin flows.
With more than USD 300 billion estimated to move through African stablecoin markets annually, the summit emphasized their potential in addressing long-standing challenges such as currency volatility, fragmented payment systems, and high remittance costs.
The agenda featured keynote speeches from global and African financial leaders, including Shahebaz Khan, Senior Vice President and Head of Commercial and Money Movement Solutions for Visa CEMEA, and Hon. Kimani Kuria, Chairperson of the Finance and National Planning Committee at the Kenya National Assembly.
Discussions spanned regulation, interoperability, infrastructure, and real-world enterprise and fintech adoption. Key highlights included: A Regulators’ Roundtable on developing a pan-African stablecoin regulatory framework; “Stablecoins at Work” panel showcasing practical applications in fintech, trade, and SMEs; Policy reviews of South Africa’s Project Khokha and insights from the U.S. GENIUS Act; Developer and startup sessions on building stablecoin infrastructure; and a town hall on scaling from fragmented markets to continent-wide payment rails
In his remarks, Shahebaz Khan of Visa said the company is extending its trusted global network to support the evolution of money through stablecoins.
“As money itself evolves, we’re extending that same trusted infrastructure to the next frontier: stablecoins. By pairing stablecoins with Visa’s world-class technology stack, we see tremendous potential to modernize global money movement – making payments faster, more accessible, and more secure for everyone. Whether it’s seamless remittances for consumers or enhanced liquidity for businesses, Visa is committed to bridging new digital currencies with our trusted network, turning innovation into everyday value.“
Telcoin CEO Paul Neuner highlighted the transformative impact stablecoins could have on the telecom industry.
“The promise of stablecoin and what that could really mean to telecom, it is a message that we’ve been preaching for a long time, which is the internet of money where there’s just stablecoin floating and directly transacting from consumer to merchant, the telcos can play a very large role in running the internet ofmoney just like they run the normal internet today.”
