Kora launches stablecoin rail for African cross-border payments

Kora launches stablecoin rail for African cross-border payments

Kora, a Dubai-headquartered payments infrastructure provider serving markets across Africa, has launched One Rail, a new product that integrates stablecoin payments into its existing platform to help merchants move money across borders faster and at lower cost.

One Rail enables businesses to receive, store, exchange and settle digital currency alongside conventional fiat transactions through Kora’s existing infrastructure. The service initially supports USDT and USDC, with plans to add more dollar-pegged stablecoins as customer demand grows and regulatory and operational conditions allow.

The launch targets several challenges facing African businesses involved in cross-border trade, including lengthy settlement times, high foreign exchange costs, limited access to dollar liquidity and fragmented payment infrastructure across markets.

By using stablecoins and their underlying settlement networks, Kora aims to simplify cross-border transactions while reducing the time and cost involved in moving funds between countries.

One Rail is designed to be accessible to businesses without dedicated blockchain expertise. Companies can access the stablecoin functionality through Kora’s existing APIs and developer tools, allowing them to integrate digital currency payments into their existing payment infrastructure.

Merchants can create dedicated wallets to receive stablecoin payments, track transactions in real time and use automated reconciliation through the Kora Dashboard. They can also hold balances in digital dollars or convert them into supported local currencies, with funds then paid into domestic bank accounts through Kora’s existing payout network.

The initial rollout focuses on merchant collections, payouts and treasury functions, including wallet creation, payment confirmation and manual settlement.

Previously known as Korapay, Kora was founded in 2018 and operates a payments platform connecting African businesses with the global digital economy. Its infrastructure combines bank transfers, mobile money, card schemes and stablecoin rails through a single API and unified platform. The company supports businesses across markets including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt and GiMAC.

Kora CEO and founder Dickson Nsofor said, “Cross-border commerce in Africa is hindered by high friction and remittance costs averaging 8–8.8% compared to the 6.49% global average. At the same time, stablecoin ownership in Africa is now at 78%.

“At Kora, we provide the financial infrastructure connecting Africa to the world’s digital economy. One Rail levels the playing field, enabling merchants to integrate stablecoin payments into their existing payment stack, delivering the speed, cost efficiency, and access needed to drive business growth across the continent.”

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