M-PESA Africa has announced a strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation to integrate blockchain technology into its platform.
The collaboration, announced on Monday, aims to usher in the next phase of mobile money by providing institutional-grade infrastructure to over 60 million monthly active users across eight African nations.
The partnership will see the deployment of the ADI Chain, a high-performance Layer 2 blockchain network, across M-PESA’s operations in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Since its inception in 2007, M-PESA has been a global leader in financial inclusion. This new collaboration, according to the two partners, builds on that legacy by creating digital rails for individuals and small businesses throughout these emerging markets.
“M-Pesa has been amazing in terms of financial inclusion,” said Huy Nguyen Trieu, council member on the ADI Foundation’s board of advisers. “Our view is that we can push it further again by providing the right digital infrastructure, both for individuals and SMEs. The foundation’s infrastructure can act as the building blocks to accelerate digital transformation.”
Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CEO of M-PESA Africa, a joint venture between Safaricom and Vodacom, expressed optimism about the technological leap, saying, “We are excited to partner with ADI Foundation to tap into their expertise around new technologies and how these can transform financial services.”
One of the most significant impacts for users will be the overhaul of international transfers. By leveraging blockchain, the partnership intends to slash settlement times and reduce the high costs typically associated with traditional cross-border banking.
A key feature of the rollout, expected to begin in early 2026, is the introduction of stablecoin-based transactions. The network will support a UAE dirham-backed stablecoin, regulated by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. This will allow M-PESA users to hedge against local currency volatility and participate in global commerce with greater price stability.
The ADI Foundation, which is backed by Sirius International Holding (the digital arm of the $240 billion UAE conglomerate IHC), described this as its most significant African partnership to date. It aligns with the Foundation’s ambitious goal to onboard one billion people to blockchain technology by 2030.
“African markets have demonstrated a massive demand for digital asset infrastructure,” said Huy Nguyen Trieu, a council member on the ADI Foundation’s board of advisers. “Our view is that we can push financial inclusion further by providing the right digital infrastructure for both individuals and SMEs.”
