M-Pesa Africa has partnered with the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation to integrate blockchain rails for its 60 million monthly active users, a move designed to overhaul cross-border settlements across eight African nations. The initiative will deploy ADI Chain, an institutional-grade Layer 2 network, to support compliant stablecoin transactions and decentralized finance (DeFi) services for individuals and SMEs.
The Institutional “Digital Rail”
Unlike retail-focused crypto integrations, this partnership leverages ADI Chain’s “sovereign-grade” architecture, built on ZKsync’s Airbender technology. The network is backed by Sirius International Holding, a subsidiary of the $240 billion conglomerate IHC. M-Pesa CEO Sitoyo Lopokoiyit confirmed the collaboration aims to transform financial services in Kenya, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
We are excited to partner with ADI Foundation to tap into their expertise around new technologies and how these can transform financial services.
Market Reaction & Tokenomics
The native utility token, ADI, traded at $1.27 (+2.4%) following the disclosure, giving the project a circulating market cap of approximately $70 million. The token is currently available on exchanges including Kraken and KuCoin. Central to the roadmap is the issuance of a UAE Dirham-backed stablecoin, regulated by the UAE Central Bank, intended to hedge against local currency volatility in M-Pesa’s operating markets.
Why It Matters
This is not a pilot; it is a structural pivot for Africa’s largest fintech. By utilizing a Dirham-pegged asset, M-Pesa is explicitly targeting the high-volume trade corridor between Africa and the UAE, bypassing the friction of dollar-denominated correspondents. The integration provides immediate utility to M-Pesa’s merchant base, offering a settlement layer that claims to cut transaction costs and time significantly compared to traditional SWIFT rails.
