Mambo 👋! This week, Kenya is putting a $1.9 million price tag on some payment players, African startup funding has crossed $2 billion, banks are finding ways to move money without the dollar, and stablecoins are moving deeper into the infrastructure used by financial institutions.
The story
Kenya wants payment companies to put up more capital.
Under the proposed National Payment System Bill, 2026, minimum capital could reach $1.93 million for electronic money issuers.
For stablecoin companies looking to build payment products or local fiat rails in Kenya, the cost of entry could be getting much higher.
Deals
African startups have raised $2 billion in 2026, including Yellow Card’s $40 million and NALA’s $50 million debt rounds. At this pace, the continent could hit the $3 billion mark by year end.
Launches
Shiga launched Pulse to give banks, fintechs and financial institutions infrastructure to access and settle with stablecoins.
Regulation
- Crypto Regulation in Africa: What's Changing in 2026.
Madini
African banks are finding ways to bypass the dollar for cross border payments.
A few months ago, Standard Bank became the first African bank to connect directly to China’s CIPS, allowing it to clear renminbi transactions across 19 African countries.
Now, Bank of Kigali has become the first bank in East and Central Africa with direct CIPS access.
As Africa’s trade with China grows, more banks are building rails to settle directly in yuan instead of routing everything through the dollar.
From inside
Yellow Card appointed former Monzo executive Ross Everett as first Group CFO.
“As stablecoin infrastructure moves from promise to scale, we need financial leadership that can keep pace. Ross has built that discipline before, and he’ll build it here,” said Chris Maurice, Co-Founder and CEO of Yellow Card.
On the record
Obiex has taken $11B in stablecoin deposits.
Written from inside Africa with love 🇹🇿💚
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