M-PESA Africa and ADI Chain, MENA region’s first institutional Layer 2 (L2) network for stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA), have entered into a partnership, aiming to bring institutional-grade Web3 and blockchain infrastructure to M-PESA’s vast network of over 60 million users across eight African countries.
M-PESA, which was launched in 2007, has been instrumental in providing mobile-based financial services, significantly contributing to financial inclusion in Africa. However, a substantial portion of adults in sub-Saharan Africa, about 42%, remain unbanked.
Henceforth, the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation, established in December 2024 by Sirius International Holding (the technology arm of IHC), developed ADI Chain to provide compliant, government-grade blockchain systems for emerging markets.
This partnership will leverage M-PESA’s extensive user base and reach alongside ADI Chain’s secure, regulation-ready blockchain infrastructure designed for the region’s financial and regulatory environment. This collaboration marks a significant strategic move for both entities. It is the ADI Foundation’s most substantial African partnership to date and M-PESA’s major entry into the blockchain sector.
According to Huy Nguyen Trieu, Council Member on the ADI Foundation Board of Advisors, the partnership is set to take both parties to the next level. “M-PESA has been amazing in terms of financial inclusion. Our view is that we can push it further again by providing the right digital infrastructure, both for individuals and SMEs,” he said.
The integration of ADI Chain’s blockchain infrastructure across M-PESA’s extensive network represents a targeted effort to redefine financial accessibility in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
By weaving this digital framework into daily transactions, the partnership directly confronts some of the most persistent barriers to economic participation in these regions. For millions of individuals and small businesses, the promise lies in the transformation of cumbersome and costly financial processes into seamless digital experiences.
A central pillar of this initiative is the radical improvement of cross-border payments, which have long been plagued by high fees and slow processing times. Families relying on remittances and small to medium enterprises engaged in regional trade stand to gain immensely from a system engineered for speed and affordability.
This will eventually unlock new economic potential by ensuring that more value reaches its intended destination, thereby strengthening local economies and supporting livelihoods that depend on transnational cash flows.
Beyond simplifying transfers, the collaboration opens a gateway to a new form of digital currency designed for stability. Users will gain access to transactions involving stablecoins, notably including a digital version of the UAE dirham that operates under the regulatory oversight of the UAE Central Bank, early this year.
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