The future of digital finance in Africa is accelerating with a groundbreaking collaboration between Aptos Labs and Yellow Card, launching instant, zero-fee stablecoin transfers across 20 African countries. This strategic integration empowers millions of users with seamless access to widely adopted stablecoins like USDT and USDC, removing traditional barriers such as high transaction fees and slow settlement times.
As financial innovation spreads across the continent, this partnership marks a pivotal step toward broader financial inclusion, leveraging blockchain technology to deliver real-world utility at scale. By combining Yellow Card’s extensive regional reach with Aptos’ high-performance Layer 1 infrastructure, the initiative enables frictionless cross-border payments, everyday transactions, and efficient treasury management for individuals and businesses alike.
A New Era for Digital Payments in Africa
Africa has emerged as a global leader in stablecoin adoption, driven by practical needs: protecting savings from inflation, facilitating international remittances, and enabling small businesses to operate across borders. According to Yellow Card's research, Sub-Saharan Africa now hosts over 54 million digital asset users, underscoring a growing demand for reliable, low-cost financial tools.
Traditional banking systems often fall short—high fees, long processing times, and limited accessibility hinder economic participation. Stablecoins offer a compelling alternative, providing dollar-pegged stability and borderless transferability. However, scalability and cost have remained challenges on many blockchain networks.
That’s where the Aptos network steps in.
Built for performance and mass adoption, Aptos supports sub-second transaction finality, throughput exceeding 11,000 transactions per second (TPS), and—critically for this use case—gas-sponsored transactions. During the campaign period, all stablecoin transfers via Yellow Card on Aptos will incur zero gas fees, making it one of the most accessible and efficient payment solutions available in Africa today.
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Seamless Access to USDT and USDC Across 20 Countries
With this integration, Yellow Card customers can now send and receive USDT (Tether) and USDC (Circle) instantly across its operational footprint in 20 African nations. Whether it’s a freelancer receiving payment from overseas, a family supporting relatives abroad, or a business managing multi-country payroll, the experience is now faster, cheaper, and more reliable.
The mobile-first design of both platforms ensures accessibility even in regions with limited banking infrastructure. Users don’t need advanced technical knowledge—just a smartphone and internet connection to participate in the global digital economy.
This move also aligns with the rising trend of enterprise-grade blockchain adoption. Financial institutions and fintechs are increasingly integrating stablecoins into their operations for liquidity management, cross-border settlements, and API-driven payment solutions. Yellow Card’s B2B offerings, including its payments API and embeddable widgets, now benefit from Aptos’ robust backend performance.
"We're excited to support Yellow Card in bringing millions of users seamless access to USDT and USDC across 20 countries," said Alex Heuer, Head of Payments at Aptos Labs. "Africa is leading the way in stablecoin adoption for practical use cases, and our zero-fee, instant settlement capabilities are perfectly suited to meet this demand."
Why Aptos? Performance Meets Practicality
Not all blockchains are built to handle the demands of high-volume, real-time payments—especially in fast-growing markets like Africa. Many suffer from congestion, unpredictable fees, or slow confirmation times.
Aptos stands out due to its parallel execution engine, which processes multiple transactions simultaneously without compromising security. Combined with account abstraction, this allows for smarter wallet experiences—such as sponsored transactions—where third parties (like Yellow Card or Aptos Labs) cover gas fees on behalf of users.
These technical advantages translate directly into user benefits:
- Instant settlement: Transactions finalize in under a second.
- Zero gas fees: Sponsored transactions eliminate cost barriers.
- High scalability: Network capacity supports millions of daily users.
- Developer-friendly tools: Enables rapid deployment of new financial applications.
As global stablecoin transfer volume surpassed $27.6 trillion in 2024—outpacing combined annual volumes of Visa and Mastercard—the need for scalable infrastructure has never been greater. Aptos is positioning itself as a foundational layer for this new financial ecosystem.
Advancing Financial Inclusion Through Innovation
For Gillian Darko, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategy at Yellow Card, this partnership goes beyond technology—it’s about empowerment.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Aptos Labs to bring instant, zero‑fee stablecoin transfers across 20 African countries. As demand for stablecoins continues to grow across the continent, cost‑effective and frictionless transactions are critical—and that’s exactly what this partnership delivers. By eliminating gas fees and enabling instant settlement on the robust, next‑generation Layer 1 Aptos network, we’re empowering millions to access faster, more affordable USDT and other stablecoins for everything from cross-border transfers to everyday purchases. This is a major step forward in advancing financial inclusion and stability across Africa.”
This vision resonates deeply in regions where inflation erodes local currencies and access to hard currency remains limited. Dollar-pegged stablecoins like USDT and USDC provide a hedge against volatility while enabling participation in global commerce.
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Core Keywords Driving Adoption
This initiative centers around several key themes that reflect current trends in digital finance:
- Stablecoin transfers
- Zero-fee transactions
- Financial inclusion
- Blockchain payments
- USDT and USDC
- African fintech
- Instant settlement
- Layer 1 blockchain
These keywords not only define the scope of the partnership but also align with growing search interest from users seeking accessible crypto payment solutions in emerging markets.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Which countries are included in this rollout?
A: The service is available across 20 African countries where Yellow Card operates, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, and others across West, East, and Southern Africa.
Q: Are there any fees for sending stablecoins via this service?
A: During the promotional campaign phase, all transfers on the Aptos network are gas-sponsored, meaning users pay zero transaction fees.
Q: What stablecoins are supported?
A: Initially, USDT (Tether) and USDC (Circle) are supported, with potential expansion to other dollar-pegged assets in the future.
Q: How fast are transactions?
A: Transactions settle in under one second, thanks to Aptos’ high-performance consensus mechanism.
Q: Do I need cryptocurrency experience to use this service?
A: No. Yellow Card provides an intuitive mobile platform designed for both new and experienced users, abstracting complex blockchain details.
Q: Is this service regulated?
A: Yes. Yellow Card is the first licensed pan-African stablecoin infrastructure provider, operating under regulatory frameworks in multiple jurisdictions.
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The Road Ahead
This collaboration signals a shift from experimental blockchain use cases to real-world financial infrastructure. As more users adopt stablecoins for daily transactions, the need for scalable, low-latency networks becomes critical. Aptos’ architecture is uniquely positioned to meet this demand.
Looking ahead, further integrations could include DeFi services, savings products, micro-lending platforms, and merchant payment solutions—all powered by instant, affordable transactions on a secure blockchain backbone.
For developers and fintech innovators, this opens new opportunities to build inclusive financial tools tailored to African markets.
Ultimately, this partnership isn’t just about faster payments—it’s about building a more equitable financial future for millions. With zero-fee transfers, instant settlement, and broad accessibility now possible at scale, Africa is setting the pace for the next generation of global finance.