Payment infrastructure provider, Fincra, has secured a Third Party Payments Provider (TPPP) licence in South Africa in collaboration with NedBank, expanding its regulatory footprint and enabling it to offer local payment methods.
With this license, Fincra is now officially authorised to process:
This development is more than just a regulatory win. Fincra is now able to integrate directly with South Africa’s core payment systems and banks. This gives businesses using its infrastructure faster settlement times, greater reliability, and the assurance of full compliance with South Africa’s regulatory standards.
This milestone comes amid a broader strategy to support stablecoin and crypto-native companies operating across Africa, a move reinforced by the recent appointment of Emmanuel Babalola – former CEO of Bundle and ex-Binance Director for Africa – as Chief Commercial and Growth Officer.
“Securing the TPPP licence in South Africa is a significant step toward realising our mission to build the rails for an integrated Africa,” said Ayowole Ayodele, CEO and Co-Founder of Fincra.
“It reinforces our commitment to building compliant, reliable infrastructure that powers cross-border trade at scale.”
With the TPPP licence in hand, Fincra now enables stablecoin startups and B2B platforms to access faster settlements and fully compliant local payment rails – critical for expanding financial services in high-friction markets like South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya.
“I see in #Africa, there is so much excitement and so much appetite . . . we just want to be part of the story.” – @paoloardoino CEO, @Tether_to
Full interview: https://t.co/zY87Ewolbx $USDT pic.twitter.com/lvMyy8IYRg
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) February 5, 2025
Fincra, founded in 2021, provides API-driven infrastructure that allows remittance companies, e-commerce platforms, fintechs, and logistics providers to collect payments globally and settle locally. Since 2023, the company has processed over $10 billion in transactions, serving clients like:
many of which operate at the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets, including stablecoins.
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According to #Cleva, it has facilitated payments exceeding $1 million monthly for thousands of users within the first four months of its introduction in… pic.twitter.com/mDjEDJbqxX
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) January 9, 2024
The company is especially popular with crypto-native platforms needing compliant fiat-to-stablecoin on/off-ramps. Fincra’s infrastructure abstracts the complexity of fragmented African payment systems, making it easier for stablecoin startups to scale operations across Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, and beyond.
“My mission has always been to enable freedom and prosperity for Africa through technology,” said Babalola, who joined Fincra in February 2025.
“Fincra is at the forefront of building the payment infrastructure powering the next generation of businesses and entrepreneurs.”
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A lot of these fintechs have obfuscated their stablecoin offerings making it quite difficult to know if they’re leveraging stablecoins to achieve this.
See list below:https://t.co/AsdaNxw8AS pic.twitter.com/anf9k3TlV2
See also
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) May 22, 2025
Fincra’s licensing in South Africa adds to its growing compliance stack, complementing partnerships with Tier-1 banks and regional regulators. The move also places it in competition with local fintech players like Ozow, Peach Payments, and Yoco – but with a sharper focus on cross-border transactions.
“This is a game-changer for businesses looking to expand or operate in the region,” said Babalola. “It’s a strong signal of Fincra’s continued focus on enabling growth for our customers.”
As Africa’s digital financial ecosystem evolves, Fincra is making a bold bet: that crypto-backed businesses, especially stablecoin platforms, will need robust, compliant, and flexible payment rails to serve users across fragmented markets. With strategic hires, regulatory wins, and a strong API suite, Fincra is increasingly becoming the backend powering Africa’s stablecoin future.
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