Tuesday 4th November 2025
by inAfrika Newsroom
Africa stablecoin rules are back on the table. Industry voices and analysts urged regulators to speed policy as stablecoin use spreads in payments and treasury. Moreover, they warned that vague rules risk confusion, tax leakage and bank hesitation.
A November briefing highlighted growing use by African banks for cross-border payments and dollar access. In addition, it cited strong retail uptake in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. Consequently, the authors argued that clarity on reserve backing, disclosures and exchange oversight would unlock safer growth.
Why it matters: Clear Africa stablecoin rules can cut remittance costs and settlement frictions. Therefore, treasuries benefit from better visibility on flows and taxable events. By contrast, permissive ambiguity invites runs on weak issuers and FX instability during stress.
For Africa, the signal is clear. Central banks can use sandboxes, disclosure templates and prudential tests to manage risk while preserving innovation. Moreover, coordination through regional bodies would prevent loophole shopping that undermines national controls.
Execution is the near-term test. Policymakers must define reserve assets, publish redemption standards, and set reporting for on- and off-ramps. In practice, those steps let banks serve real-economy use cases without guessing where the lines are.
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