Jun 20, 2025

In partnership with How will you be spending your weekend? If you’re yet to subscribe to our Francophone newsletter , please do. Also, if you know anyone who is looking to get smarter about tech innovation, policy, culture, and economy as it unfolds in Francophone Africa, please tell them to sign up to the newsletter. Stablecoins/Image Source: TechCabal If you thought the stablecoin hype was dying down, we’ve got news for you: it’s not. Visa has partnered with Yellow Card, a crypto company that has processed $6 billion in transactions (mostly in USDT and USDC), to bring stablecoin payments to emerging markets. Both companies are testing a new integration on Visa Direct that will allow businesses and individuals to send and receive stablecoins. While Visa is no newcomer to experimenting with stablecoins, its latest move comes just weeks after Stripe made a big internet splash by launching stablecoin payments in 101 countries, including several markets in Africa. Everybody is gung ho about stablecoins because they help businesses solve FX liquidity crunch. Stablecoins are digital versions of fiat money. They are digital tokens backed 1:1 by fiat reserves (like the US dollar), so they keep circulating as long as those reserves hold. That makes it easier and cheaper for businesses in cash-strapped markets to move money without waiting on slow, expensive bank rails. Regulatory clarity is also making companies take a second look. Countries like Japan , the UK, and Brazil are laying down legal frameworks for stablecoins. The US also passed a recent bill to govern stablecoin issuance and oversight. With more corridors easing up on stablecoins, the legal clarity is giving traditional finance players room to move. What used to feel like crypto’s wild west now has rules, and with the nimbleness of stablecoins, businesses can expand their services faster. With more traditional finance players committing to the script, stablecoins are starting to look like finance’s next infrastructure layer. Save more on every NGN transaction with Fincra Stop overpaying for NGN payments. Fincra’s fees are more affordable than other payment platforms for collections & payouts. The bigger the transaction, the more you save. Create a free account in 3 minutes and start saving today. Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox ?> Image Source: Google Nigeria takes one step ahead of Starlink by signing a deal with China’s Galaxy Space to bring faster, satellite-powered internet straight to your digital devices. Here’s what happened: The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has signed an MoU with China’s Galaxy Space to deploy Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite connectivity across the country. This rollout is expected before the end of 2025 and promises to significantly improve internet access and connectivity in Nigeria, particularly in rural and underserved regions. What is D2D anyway? Direct-to-Device (D2D) satellite connectivity skips traditional infrastructure altogether. Think of it like Starlink: iInstead of relying on traditional infrastructure like cell towers, it connects digital devices directly to low-orbit satellites flying overhead. That means even in network dead zones, your device can stay online, chatting, browsing, and transacting. Why it matters: Until now, Elon Musk’s Starlink has dominated the conversation on fast internet connectivity. While Starlink has only hinted at its direct-to-cell rollout plans in Africa , there is no clear timeline in sight. Galaxy Space is moving fast, and Nigeria could be its continental springboard. Starlink may have the hype, but Galaxy Space just got a head start. And if this competition leads to better, cheaper, faster internet, that’s a win for everyone on the ground. Stay up to date with the latest Paystack news! Subscribe to Paystack for a curated dose of product updates, insights, event invites and more. Subscribe here → Get the best African tech newsletters in your inbox ?>