LONDON, Oct. 8, 2026 — Financial infrastructure company Velocity and African payments and foreign exchange platform CrissCross have entered a strategic partnership aimed at connecting global stablecoin liquidity with local financial infrastructure across African markets.
The partnership will combine Velocity’s institutional stablecoin network with CrissCross’ payments and foreign exchange infrastructure, giving financial institutions and businesses a more direct way to move between onchain liquidity and local currencies and payment systems.
Velocity said the agreement will extend its network into more than 30 additional African markets, while CrissCross will gain connectivity to a broader network of financial institutions, liquidity providers and enterprises using stablecoins for payments, settlement and treasury operations.
The companies also plan to develop capabilities linking stablecoins with real-time payment rails and virtual account infrastructure.
“The opportunity is to connect global liquidity much more effectively with the infrastructure businesses rely on in each market,” said Olann Kerrison, chief network officer at Velocity. “CrissCross has built strong local payments and FX capabilities across a region where stablecoins are already widely used.”
“Combining that reach with Velocity’s institutional network allows us to build more complete payment and treasury solutions for institutions moving money across these corridors,” Kerrison said.
Stablecoins, digital assets typically designed to maintain a stable value against currencies such as the U.S. dollar, have gained traction in cross-border payments across Africa. However, businesses still need access to domestic currencies, bank accounts and local payment networks to collect and disburse funds.
The companies said connecting those systems is central to the partnership.
“Cross-border payments increasingly depend on being able to move between different forms of money and different payment systems without adding complexity for the customer,” said James Cope, general manager at CrissCross.
“We have focused on building the local infrastructure and liquidity required to operate effectively across African markets,” Cope said. “Partnering with Velocity extends that connectivity into a broader institutional stablecoin network, giving global financial institutions and enterprises a more direct route into the markets we serve.”
The companies said the partnership is based on the view that stablecoins will increasingly operate alongside traditional financial infrastructure rather than replace it.
Under the model, global liquidity can move through blockchain-based networks while local bank accounts, currencies and payment rails continue to handle collections and payouts.
Velocity said the integration could allow institutions to select different payment and settlement rails at different stages of a transaction, potentially reducing fragmentation in cross-border money movement.
CrissCross operates across more than 30 African markets, providing local collections, payouts and foreign exchange conversion through a single application programming interface, or API. The company says it has direct banking relationships and local liquidity across the markets it serves.
Velocity describes itself as a stablecoin payments and treasury platform for corporate finance teams, combining stablecoins with traditional financial infrastructure to facilitate international payments, liquidity management and settlement.
The partnership comes as African businesses and financial institutions increasingly explore digital assets and alternative payment infrastructure to address the cost, speed and complexity of cross-border transactions.
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