Africa’s leading payments technology company, Flutterwave, has announced a strategic investment from Circle Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Circle Internet Group Inc. (NYSE: CRCL), to accelerate the adoption of stablecoin-based payments across the continent.
The investment follows Flutterwave’s participation in the launch of the Circle Payments Network in 2025 and supports the company’s plan to integrate USDC settlement directly into its existing payment infrastructure.
Under the arrangement, businesses using Flutterwave’s platform will be able to collect payments in local currencies and settle transactions in USDC, reducing settlement delays and costs while enabling near-instant payments beyond traditional banking hours.
The company said the investment aligns with its strategy of positioning stablecoins as critical financial infrastructure capable of delivering faster and more reliable settlements across Africa.
Flutterwave added that integrating USDC settlement within a compliance-first framework would enable businesses to adopt blockchain-based payments while remaining aligned with existing regulatory requirements and enterprise operating standards.
Commenting on the development, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola, said the investment would strengthen the infrastructure required to support the next phase of cross-border payments from Africa.
“This support from Circle Ventures is about backing the rails that will power the next era of global money movement from Africa. Stablecoins like USDC are no longer an experiment; they are becoming core financial infrastructure,” Agboola said.
“By embedding USDC settlement into our current payments infrastructure, we are building a system that lets businesses move money at the speed of the internet. This fundamentally changes how payments from Africa connect to the world and positions Flutterwave as the default stablecoin gateway for the continent.”
According to the company, global stablecoin circulation has surpassed $300 billion, with Africa emerging as one of the fastest-growing markets for adoption.
Flutterwave said its expansion into a multi-rail payments platform incorporating fiat currencies, card payments, bank transfers and stablecoins would provide businesses with greater flexibility by allowing them to choose the fastest, most cost-effective and reliable settlement option for their transactions.
