Tether continues its expansion across the African continent, aiming to broaden access for African businesses and citizens to digital assets and the global financial system.
Tether, the company behind the world’s largest stablecoin by market cap, USDT, announced strategic investments in African FinTech startup Kotani Pay, which specializes in providing on-chain access to local payment systems. The partnership is designed to accelerate blockchain adoption in cross-border payments across Africa and to support the development of local infrastructure for managing digital assets.
According to Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, the collaboration with Kotani Pay aligns with the company’s mission to promote financial freedom through blockchain-based solutions. He noted that the partnership will help reduce costs and transaction times for international settlements, while ensuring stable access to global liquidity for both business owners and individual users.
Kotani Pay already established itself as one of Africa’s leading infrastructure providers, offering solutions tailored to the unique needs of local markets. Felix Macharia, CEO and Co-Founder of Kotani Pay, stated that Tether’s investment will help millions of Africans gain access to the global economy and speed up the development of digital asset-based financial tools. He also emphasized that Tether’s backing will allow Kotani Pay to expand its services for small and medium-sized enterprises, which often face high transaction fees and limited access to international payment networks.
According to a Chainalysis report, on-chain transaction volumes in Sub-Saharan Africa reached over $205 billion between July 2024 and June 2025, a 52% increase compared to the previous year.
