Visa Doubles Down on Africa’s Crypto Boom: Yellow Card Deal Supercharges Stablecoin Adoption

Visa just plugged Africa's explosive crypto economy into its global payments network—and traditional banks might want to watch their backs.

The payments giant inked a partnership with Yellow Card, Africa's largest licensed crypto exchange, to turbocharge stablecoin transactions across 20 countries. No more waiting days (or paying absurd fees) to move money across borders.

Why it matters: While Wall Street still debates 'crypto utility,' Africa's $100B+ mobile money market is sprinting toward blockchain rails. Visa's move isn't philanthropy—it's a land grab for the next billion users.

The fine print: Yellow Card's infrastructure will let merchants accept USDC payments converted to local fiat instantly. Because apparently the 'stable' in stablecoin still needs Visa's stamp of approval.

Bottom line: When the suits finally admit crypto solves real problems, they'll pretend they invented it. Until then, Africa's writing the playbook.

• Visa enables 24/7 USDC settlement for CEMEA acquirers and issuers
• Yellow Card to pilot stablecoin services in Africa by end of 2025
• Over $225M in stablecoin volume settled by Visa since 2023

Visa has expanded its stablecoin settlement capabilities in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA). The company has also entered a strategic partnership with Yellow Card, a licensed African crypto exchange. The developments are part of its efforts to integrate stablecoins into the global payment system.

Visa’s 24/7 USDC settlement for CEMEA

The firm facilitates stablecoin settlements for a few issuers and acquirers in the region. This project intends to facilitate cross-border payments and increase real-time liquidity management. Moreover, it offers 24/7 settlement, which makes it faster and minimizes operational friction.

Visa’s stablecoin settlement solution uses Circle’s USDC on the public blockchain networks. It first partnered with Crypto.com to allow crypto cardholders to convert digital assets into USDC. This enabled them to pay global merchants as Visa handled the settlement.

The program now allows direct payout of USDC to merchants through partners such as Worldpay and Nuvei. This reduces the hassle of converting USDC to fiat before transactions, which in turn lowers costs and reduces settlement times. This update enables Visa to improve the integration of blockchain in the traditional payment rails.

Yellow Card Set to Tap Africa Stablecoin Market

The collaboration focuses on the innovation of cross-border payments with stablecoins. Yellow Card is licensed in multiple African countries, which offers Visa access to major emerging markets. The two firms seek to develop better infrastructure for treasury operations and digital dollar liquidity.

Yellow Card intends to introduce stablecoin payment services in at least one African country in 2025. Further market rollouts are anticipated in 2026 with the increase in licenses and infrastructure. The phased launch matches the domestic financial laws and the currency exchange requirements.

The company believes stablecoins will be an essential part of the modern payment systems in 2025. The increased demand for stablecoins indicates increased interest in cost-effective and cross-border financial services. Institutions use blockchain to deal with currency volatility and capital restrictions.

Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP) and BVNK investment

Visa has in recent years invested in digital currency solutions to remain ahead in global payments. It debuted the Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP), which supports tokenized deposits and stablecoins. Spanish bank BBVA is one of the first partners to test VTAP with an Ethereum-based stablecoin.

Visa also invested in BVNK, a stablecoin payments platform that specialises in business-to-business payments. This indicates the firm’s long-term approach to connecting traditional finance with blockchain systems. The firm collaborates with fintech pioneers to transform payment standards for both businesses and consumers.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains a primary area of crypto adoption because of the lack of access to the U.S. dollar. Stablecoins provide a solution to the unstable local currencies, especially for businesses that handle cross-border transactions. 

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