Tether backs Kotani Pay in push to boost digital asset adoption in Africa

Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, has announced a strategic investment in Kotani Pay, a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) offering on-ramp/off-ramp infrastructure that connects Web3 users to local payment channels across Africa.

The 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 that emerges from real needs in regions with high inflation, currency volatility, limited banking infrastructure, and large populations that are unbanked or underbanked.

“At Tether, we believe that blockchain technology plays a critical role in unlocking financial freedom,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.

“Kotani Pay’s vision and strong regional presence make it the right fit to drive our shared goals in Africa. Together, we aim to provide businesses and individuals with access to digital assets for their global operations, reduce friction in cross-border transactions, and build a more inclusive financial future while promoting the informed use of digital assets.”

“At Kotani Pay, we have been fortunate to witness and build on the rising usage of blockchain technology on the continent across a variety of use cases,” Felix Macharia, CEO and Co-founder at Kotani Pay.

“This strategic investment from Tether better positions us to continue our work as a bridge to the on-chain economy, connecting millions of Africans to the global financial system. We are excited to be part of the Tether Ecosystem and to leverage the shared knowledge to advance the goals of building tools of wealth creation for African individuals and businesses.”