Abu Dhabi-based blockchain project ADI Foundation has signed a deal with M-Pesa to roll out blockchain infrastructure in Kenya and seven other African markets where the mobile money service operates.
The project will deploy its ADI Chain blockchain infrastructure across Kenya, the DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania, targeting M-Pesa Africa’s existing mobile money network and its more than 60 million monthly users.
Blockchain technology creates secure, decentralised digital ledgers, enabling uses like cryptocurrency. ADI Chain will support cross-border payments for Abu Dhabi-based firms operating across international markets through the dirham-backed stablecoin. Transactions are planned to begin in early 2026.
“M-Pesa has been amazing in terms of financial inclusion,” Huy Trieu, a council member on the ADI Foundation’s board of advisers, said in a statement.
“We believe we can push it further by providing the right digital infrastructure for individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises.”
Stablecoins, digital currencies pegged to assets such as the US dollar, are widely viewed as a cheaper and quicker alternative for cross-border transactions that can otherwise take days to settle and attract multiple fees.
Safaricom launched M-Pesa in Kenya in 2007 and has become one of Africa’s most widely used financial platforms, allowing users to send, receive and store money on mobile phones without the need for traditional bank accounts. The fintech unit has grown in double digits since and is now on course to generate half of the telco’s revenue.
ADI Foundation is owned by Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Sirius International Holding. Sirius is the digital arm of IHC, the Middle East’s largest listed company, chaired by the UAE president’s brother.
On its website, ADI says it works with governments and regulators to adopt blockchain technology through “purpose-built frameworks and infrastructure aligned with national priorities.”
The partnership is the first major deal M-Pesa -owned by Safaricom and South Africa’s Vodacom- has made in the blockchain and crypto sector.
To tap into the cross-border payment market, Safaricom has M-Pesa Global, a service that enables M-Pesa users to send and receive money globally. The telco’s GlobalPay service also allows Visa card linkage to users’ M-Pesa wallets, enabling them to make international online payments.
For M-Pesa’s African markets, the ADI deal could serve as a test case for how an established mobile money platform can integrate blockchain technology into its existing payment systems.
“We are excited to partner with ADI Foundation to tap into their expertise around new technologies and how these can transform financial services,” said Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, the chief executive of M-Pesa Africa.
Until now, M-Pesa and Safaricom have maintained a cautious approach to direct cryptocurrency integration due to regulatory concerns from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). The telco has previously denied services to companies dealing in virtual currencies to comply with the regulator’s directives.
However, the regulatory landscape in Kenya is changing. In October 2025, President William Ruto enacted the Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Bill, which requires crypto service providers to be licensed and to meet anti-money laundering, consumer protection and operational security standards.
ADI said the blockchain infrastructure “provides regulatory compliance frameworks that work within local requirements, transaction infrastructure operates within existing payment rails, and security standards meet government expectations, allowing institutions to deploy blockchain technology without compromising sovereignty or control.”
Demand for digital asset infrastructure is growing across Africa, driven by cross-border trade, remittances and efforts to hedge against currency instability. Some multinational companies are also adopting them to repatriate earnings, bypassing local commercial banks.
Kenyans have been using platforms such as TransFi and Tando to conduct near-instant conversion of on-chain USDC stablecoins into shillings.
Blockchain data firms have documented rising use of stablecoins in merchant settlements and regional commerce linking Africa with the Middle East and Asia.
Recently, the global crypto exchange Bybit ranked Kenya fifth worldwide by cryptocurrency transaction volumes. Data from Chainalysis, a New York-based blockchain analytics firm, shows that Kenya processed about Sh426.4 billion ($3.3 billion) worth of stablecoin transactions in the year to June 2024. Kenya ranked as the fourth-largest recipient of stablecoins, behind Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana.
Analysts say Kenya is well-positioned to adopt stablecoins into everyday finance due to its high mobile-money penetration rates.
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