OTC Trading and Stablecoins: The Quiet Rails Powering African Trade

Stablecoins cut remittance costs from 8-10% to sub-1% and unlock forex access for importers. OTC desks now bridge mobile money and on-chain liquidity, enabling treasury management without traditional bank delays.

Corporate treasuries increasingly park working capital in USDT/USDC, sweeping into fiat when invoices are due. Suppliers prefer the predictability and faster settlement versus slow correspondent banking.

Regulators in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are drafting safeguards around KYC, consumer protection, and reserve transparency. We expect deeper integrations with mobile money and bank APIs, especially as compliant rails like RLUSD and other regulated tokens mature.