Stablecoins in Africa: Stability & Innovation Powering Digital Payments – panel session at Africa Tech Summit Nairobi 2025 featuring insights and views from Victoria Calmon – Head of Marketing and Communications at Mento Labs, Daniel Kimotho – Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships at Celo Foundation, Sebastien Piolat – Business Development Director for Web3 at Opera and moderated by Duncan Muchangi – Head of Business Development at Fonbnk.
The panelists explore challenges and opportunities in the adoption of stablecoins across the continent, financial literacy, accessibility, and the current reliance on mobile money systems. Sharing insights into prevalent use cases for stablecoins — like savings, payments, and remittances— and highlight the role of emerging technologies in bridging gaps within traditional financial systems. The discussion covers the importance of partnerships and the ecosystem required for stablecoin growth, as well as exciting projections for the future where traditional banking systems may evolve into a more decentralized financial landscape.
Highlights include
🌍 Stablecoin Adoption: The panel notes that 43% of cryptocurrency transactions in Africa are conducted using stablecoins, indicating significant market penetration.
💡 Challenges Addressed: Issues like complexity, financial literacy, and accessibility are highlighted as barriers to stablecoin adoption.
🤝 Mobile Money Integration: The importance of existing mobile money infrastructure is emphasized, showcasing it as a launchpad to promote stablecoins.
🚀 Future Innovations: Speakers express optimism about future use cases, including decentralized crowdfunding and cross-border payments.
🔗 Ecosystem and Partnerships: The role of partnerships in developing a supportive ecosystem for stablecoins is detailed, showing a collaborative approach to growth and market expansion.
Africa Tech Summit Nairobi 2025 celebrated its 7th edition on February 12th and 13th at the Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi. Bringing together over 1600 leading industry players from 64 countries representing 800+ companies who listened and learned from 176 speakers across 73 sessions, exploring the latest trends and insights in technology and business across Africa and beyond.
It was a jam packed few days of keynotes, masterclass sessions, fireside chats, panels and pitches. View the session from across the Africa Money and Defi Summit, Africa Climate Tech & Investment Summit, Africa Startup Summit and Mobile & App Summit here.
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