Circle Internet Group, Inc., the company behind the widely adopted US Dollar Coin (USDC), has entered into a new strategic collaboration with Sasai Fintech, a business unit of Cassava Technologies. The partnership is designed to accelerate the adoption of USDC and significantly expand internet-native financial infrastructure across the African continent.
Issued through Circle’s regulated affiliates, USDC is a fully-reserved, transparent payment stablecoin redeemable 1:1 for US dollars. It is actively used to power programmable payments and financial applications worldwide.
Fueling Africa’s digital economy
Stablecoin use across Africa is currently experiencing rapid growth. This surge is largely being driven by a generation of mobile-first consumers, the expansion of cross-border commerce, and a rapidly expanding overall digital economy.
Through this new collaboration, Circle and Sasai Fintech will actively explore practical applications for USDC within the region. They will investigate how Circle’s full-stack platform can effectively support the reduction of transaction costs, remove operational frictions, and slash settlement times for Sasai’s broad base of enterprise and consumer customers.
Sasai Fintech already operates across several key African payment corridors. The company provides a unified suite of digital financial services that enables seamless business payments, facilitates cross-border transfers for both individuals and remittance operators, and delivers innovative mobile wallet solutions. By integrating USDC and Circle’s robust onchain infrastructure, these platforms can now seamlessly connect African users directly to the global financial system.
Transformative opportunities for inclusion
Strive Masiyiwa, founder and executive chairman at Cassava Technologies, highlighted the macroeconomic shifts driving this initiative. “Africa’s digital economy is entering a new era, propelled by entrepreneurship, a mobile-first generation, and the acceleration of intra-regional trade,” Masiyiwa stated. He added that by integrating with the trusted and widely adopted USDC network, the companies can actively drive financial inclusion and open transformative opportunities for businesses and consumers alike.
Jeremy Allaire, co-founder, chairman and CEO at Circle, echoed the importance of the African market for the future of digital assets. “Emerging markets are at the forefront of stablecoin adoption, and Africa represents a significant opportunity for internet-native innovation,” Allaire commented. “Working with Cassava, we can extend the benefits of USDC and onchain infrastructure into high-growth payment corridors to deliver always-on global connectivity,” he concluded.
