ACCRA, Ghana (XOL Africa) — Stanbic Bank Ghana and financial technology group RD Technologies are exploring a stablecoin-based settlement system to help Ghanaian businesses pay suppliers in Asia, with a proposed pilot subject to regulatory approval.
The initiative aims to reduce the time, cost and complexity associated with cross-border business payments by combining Stanbic Bank Ghana’s domestic banking services with RD Technologies’ digital-asset infrastructure and Asian settlement network, the companies said in a statement Monday.
The proposed arrangement would keep Stanbic Bank Ghana responsible for customer onboarding, know-your-customer checks, transaction approvals and local-currency settlement, while RD Technologies would provide payment technology and coordinate settlement with overseas counterparties.
Stablecoins, digital tokens designed to maintain a stable value relative to an asset such as a fiat currency, would support the underlying settlement process. The companies did not specify which stablecoin would be used or disclose a timeline for launching the proposed pilot.
“Reliable and efficient payments are essential for Ghanaian businesses engaged in international trade,” said Darwin Mireku, Stanbic Bank Ghana’s head of strategy enablement.
“Customer needs, compliance and risk management will guide the design and testing of the proposed solution as we engage with the relevant regulators and work towards a controlled pilot,” he said.
Rita Liu, chief executive of RD Technologies, said the partnership would combine the bank’s domestic capabilities with the technology company’s digital-asset infrastructure and Asian market connections.
“Our shared objective is to explore a secure, compliant and more efficient way for Ghanaian businesses to settle legitimate trade payments with suppliers in Asia,” Liu said.
The companies said their next steps would include regulatory engagement, technical testing and designing a controlled pilot. Implementation would depend on the necessary regulatory no-objection, and participating businesses would remain subject to the bank’s standard onboarding, compliance and risk-assessment procedures.
The announcement comes as financial institutions and technology companies explore the use of digital assets to improve international payments. Stablecoin-based settlement can potentially reduce reliance on multiple intermediaries, although its practical benefits depend on regulatory requirements, liquidity, conversion costs and the payment networks involved.
Stanbic Bank Ghana, established in 1999, is a subsidiary of Standard Bank Group, which operates across Africa. RD Technologies provides digital financial services and infrastructure linking traditional financial systems with blockchain-based services. The company said it was among the early participants admitted to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s stablecoin issuer sandbox.
The proposed Ghana-Asia initiative remains at the exploratory stage, with no confirmed launch date or details of the pilot’s transaction volume disclosed.
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