Nairobi, Kenya – October 3, 2025, YoguPay, Africa’s cross-border payments platform enabling businesses to move money globally without borders, hosted an engaging and insight-packed webinar titled “Why Stablecoins Are the Future of Cross-Border Business Payments.”
The session convened some of Africa’s leading minds in digital finance, featuring Jonathan Kasuga, Country Manager at Yellowcard Uganda; Nathaniel Luz, President of the Africa Stablecoin Network; and Adetutu Tony-Dada, Treasury and Digital Assets Executive with experience straddling traditional finance and Web3. The discussion was moderated by Sheila Brenda Philemon, YoguPay’s Media & Communications Officer, who steered a balanced, forward-looking conversation that reinforced YoguPay’s role in shaping the dialogue around compliant, inclusive, and technology-driven finance across Africa.
Key Insights from the Session
Policy, Regulation, and Readiness
Kicking off the session, Nathaniel painted an optimistic picture of Africa’s stablecoin evolution, one defined by growing regulatory curiosity and structured experimentation.
“We’ve never had it this positive before in Africa,” he said, pointing to regulatory momentum in Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, where authorities are showing growing openness to licensing and taxation frameworks for legitimate stablecoin projects.
He emphasized the need for alignment across three fronts, businesses, regulators, and consumers, to drive stablecoin adoption responsibly and at scale.
Bridging Regulation and Reality
Building on that, Jonathan underscored the importance of proactive engagement and transparency between fintechs and regulators.
“Compliance is always cheaper,” he said, pointing out that businesses that collaborate early tend to avoid friction later.
He shared how Yellowcard’s partnerships with central banks and regulators across more than 20 African countries have enabled the company to build trust and operate sustainably, creating a replicable model for industry peers.
Adding to that, Adetutu provided a reality check. Regulatory caution should not be mistaken for resistance.
“You can’t regulate what you don’t understand,” she said, explaining that many regulators are now learning through collaborative pilots and sandbox initiatives. The key, she stressed, is creating an ecosystem where innovation and regulation evolve hand in hand.
From Concept to Corporate Reality
The discussion later shifted from policy to practice, exploring how businesses can begin adopting stablecoins as part of their treasury management and payment operations.
Adetutu walked participants through the basics of building a stablecoin treasury framework:
- Define the scope and use case
- Secure reliable custody solutions
- Engage legal and compliance teams early
- Establish governance and audit structures
“You can’t treat institutional funds like personal funds,” she reminded. “Custody, governance, and reconciliation have to mature before the technology scales.”
Her message was clear: technology alone doesn’t make finance modern; structure does. Without the right operational maturity, even the most innovative tools risk introducing new vulnerabilities instead of solving old ones.
Addressing Adoption Barriers
One recurring challenge discussed was education. Many African SMEs still equate stablecoins with volatile crypto assets, creating a perception problem that slows adoption. Others remain wary due to unclear enforcement measures and the prevalence of unregulated players.
Both YoguPay and Yellowcard are actively addressing these barriers through:
- Consistent education and awareness initiatives that simplify digital asset literacy for businesses.
- Transparent pricing and operational models that build user confidence.
- Partnerships that enhance access to compliant on- and off-ramps.
These interventions are slowly reshaping market confidence, proving that responsible innovation can drive adoption without compromising compliance.
A Call for Collaboration and Licensing
From a policy standpoint, Nathaniel underscored that licensing remains the strongest catalyst for adoption.
“Licenses show that governments believe in this industry,” he said. “They give investors confidence and protect consumers. The more licenses we issue, the faster adoption will grow.”
He also called for collaboration among fintechs, regulators, and policy networks to enhance fraud detection and data intelligence, noting that “competition without cooperation” only leaves the ecosystem vulnerable.
Humanizing Innovation: The YoguPay Perspective
Bringing the discussion full circle, Sheila anchored the conversation in YoguPay’s guiding philosophy, that innovation must always remain human-centered.
She noted that while stablecoins are often discussed in the context of technology and disruption, the real story lies in their capacity to empower real businesses and people. From African SMEs navigating currency volatility to exporters and startups looking for reliable, faster, and compliant settlement channels.
“Stablecoins aren’t the future. They’re already here,” she said. “They’re quietly rewriting how African businesses trade, pay, and grow. But the real revolution isn’t the technology, it’s the trust, compliance, and understanding that make it usable and sustainable.”
She emphasized that YoguPay’s mission goes beyond providing digital infrastructure; it’s about bridging innovation with integrity, ensuring that African businesses can participate in global trade confidently and compliantly.
Key Takeaways
- Africa’s regulatory climate for stablecoins is warming faster than ever.
- Innovation must move in tandem with governance and compliance.
- Education, transparency, and licensing are the backbone of sustainable adoption.
- Licensing and collaboration between fintechs, regulators, and networks are vital to build resilience and trust.
Looking Ahead
As Africa’s financial ecosystem continues to evolve, the path forward will demand more than innovation; it will require alignment, collaboration, and trust.
The insights from this discussion reaffirm that stablecoins are only one piece of a much larger transformation taking shape across the continent. From digital currencies and compliant on-ramps to treasury automation and seamless global payouts, Africa’s next financial chapter will be defined by how effectively fintechs, regulators, and businesses work together to bridge innovation with real-world usability.
YoguPay remains committed to leading these conversations, and more importantly, building the infrastructure that powers them. Through its cross-border payments platform, YoguPay continues to simplify how businesses send, receive, and manage money globally, while ensuring compliance, transparency, and security at every step.