By Editorial Staff 
Tether, issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, has announced a strategic investment in Kotani Pay, a Kenya-based financial technology company that connects Web3 platforms to local payment systems across Africa.
What you should know
- Tether’s investment aims to lower financial barriers and enhance access to blockchain-based tools.
- Kotani Pay operates as an on-ramp and off-ramp infrastructure for Web3 transactions in several African countries.
- The partnership targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) facing challenges such as high transaction costs and slow settlement times.
The move is expected to expand access to digital assets and improve cross-border payments for individuals and businesses in emerging markets.
According to data from Chainalysis, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the smallest crypto economy globally but is one of the most dynamic in terms of grassroots adoption.
On-chain transaction volumes in the region exceeded US$205 billion between July 2024 and June 2025, a 52 percent year-on-year rise, driven by remittances and retail usage in key markets like Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Ethiopia.
Tether’s Chief Executive Officer, Paolo Ardoino, said the partnership aligns with the company’s goal of using blockchain to promote financial inclusion, noting that Kotani Pay’s regional expertise would help advance shared efforts to make cross-border transactions more efficient and accessible.
On his part, Kotani Pay’s Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Felix Macharia, said the investment would strengthen the firm’s capacity to connect millions of Africans to the global financial system through blockchain-based infrastructure.
Both companies said the collaboration would focus on scaling access to blockchain tools that support efficiency, transparency, and financial inclusion across Africa.
Opeyemi Quadri