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African stablecoin infrastructure provider Yellow Card has secured $40 million in strategic funding from a group of global investors led by SC Ventures, the innovation and investment arm of Standard Chartered, and the Sony Innovation Fund, in a move expected to accelerate the company’s international expansion and strengthen its payment infrastructure for businesses.
The funding round also attracted participation from Polychain Capital, Blockchain Capital, and several other strategic investors, pushing Yellow Card’s total equity financing to more than $120 million.
Fresh Capital to Scale Global USD Accounts
Yellow Card said the new investment will be used to expand its Global USD Accounts, an end-to-end dollar account solution designed for businesses operating across multiple markets.
The product allows companies to hold U.S. dollars, manage treasury operations, swap stablecoins, and send or receive local currencies through domestic payment rails in more than 50 countries.
The company said the additional funding will also help extend its stablecoin payment rails, increase currency coverage, and deepen its presence in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, marking a significant step beyond its traditional African footprint.
Institutional Confidence in Stablecoin Payments
The involvement of Standard Chartered and Sony highlights growing institutional interest in stablecoins as a tool for cross-border payments and treasury management.
Alex Manson, Chief Executive Officer of SC Ventures, said the investment reflects confidence in Yellow Card’s role in building the infrastructure required for mainstream stablecoin adoption.
“Stablecoins are here to stay, but their adoption will depend on robust infrastructure and clear real-world utility. Yellow Card is building those rails for businesses across Africa, enabling them to access and move value efficiently across markets,” Manson said.
The participation of the Sony Innovation Fund signals increasing corporate interest in blockchain-based payment infrastructure as global businesses explore alternatives to traditional correspondent banking systems.
From Crypto Trading to Financial Infrastructure
Yellow Card has increasingly repositioned itself from a cryptocurrency trading platform into a provider of enterprise-grade financial infrastructure.
According to Chris Maurice, the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, the next phase of growth will focus on connecting banks directly to stablecoin payment rails rather than relying solely on fintech and crypto-native customers.
“The bigger opportunity now is connecting banks themselves to stablecoin rails. When institutions plug into this infrastructure, they’re not just modernising payments, they’re unlocking dollar access for millions of businesses that traditional correspondent banking has left behind,” Maurice said.
The strategy reflects a broader trend in the digital asset industry, where stablecoins are increasingly being used for international payments, remittances and corporate treasury management because of their lower costs and faster settlement times.
Global Reach Continues to Expand
Yellow Card says it has processed more than $10 billion in transactions across its network and currently supports over 50 currencies.
The company holds licences, registrations or regulatory authorisations in 22 jurisdictions across North America, Europe and Africa, and has established strategic partnerships with major global payment players including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and Coinbase.
Its Global USD Accounts are already being used by customers such as Visa and Western Union, demonstrating growing enterprise adoption of stablecoin-based payment infrastructure.
Nigeria Remains a Key Regulatory Market
The funding announcement comes as Yellow Card continues efforts to strengthen its regulatory position in Nigeria.
The company is among the digital asset firms seeking licensing under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme (ARIP), a framework designed to provide a structured pathway for crypto businesses to operate within Nigeria’s evolving regulatory environment.
Yellow Card has previously described the programme as an important step toward improving regulatory clarity and encouraging responsible innovation within the country’s digital asset ecosystem.
What the Funding Means for Africa’s Fintech Landscape
The $40 million raise is one of the largest strategic funding rounds announced by an Africa-focused stablecoin infrastructure company in 2026 and reflects increasing investor confidence in blockchain-powered payment networks.
For Yellow Card, the investment provides resources to expand beyond Africa while strengthening its infrastructure for businesses seeking faster and more efficient cross-border payment solutions.
For the broader African fintech sector, the deal signals that global financial institutions are becoming increasingly interested in stablecoin infrastructure as a bridge between traditional banking systems and the next generation of digital money.
As competition intensifies in the payments industry, companies that can combine regulatory compliance, enterprise-grade security and scalable cross-border infrastructure are expected to play a central role in shaping the future of digital finance across emerging markets.
