STABLECOINS | Yellow Card Joins the Circle Payments Network to Expand $USDC Access Across Africa

In a recent announcement, Circle revealed that users across 30+ African countries can now access USDC on a broader scale via Yellow Card’s infrastructure. This move is part of Circle’s ongoing push to expand access to digital dollars across emerging markets where stablecoins are increasingly used for remittances, savings, and cross-border commerce.

“With Yellow Card, we’re expanding USDC access and use across Africa – supporting digital dollar use cases that fuel economic opportunity and financial inclusion,” Circle posted on X.

This partnership comes just weeks after the Bank of Ghana called out Yellow Card citing regulatory concerns.

In June 2025, as reported by BitKE, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) issued a strong public warning against YellowPay and HanyPay which it said were operating without the necessary authorization. But this wasn’t just an isolated caution – it was the prelude to a broader shift in Ghana’s approach to crypto regulation.

Just weeks later, BoG announced a mandatory registration for all Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), both local and international, that offer services to Ghanaian residents.

While the company has not officially commented, multiple local sources indicate that crypto-related compliance is at the core of the issue – highlighting the ongoing tension between crypto innovation and regulation across parts of Africa.

Despite the regulatory hiccups, Yellow Card has been forging ahead. In mid-July 2025, the company announced a landmark partnership with VISA, enabling USDC offramps in select African markets through Visa Direct. This allows users to send USDC and have it directly converted and received as local fiat via supported bank cards.

VISA’s expanded initiative is a continuation of its blockchain integration efforts, which began in 2023 when the company enabled USDC settlement on its network. Since then, VISA has processed over $225 million in stablecoin volume and is now targeting cross-border transaction settlement through blockchain rails in key CEMEA markets.

The partnership with Yellow Card, announced in June 2025, aims to pilot stablecoin-enabled treasury operations and liquidity management for institutions in Africa. VISA Direct, the company’s global real-time payments platform, will be central to this rollout, offering stablecoin-powered cross-border transfers in over 190 countries.

Together, these moves position Yellow Card as a key player in crypto-fiat interoperability across Africa – bridging Circle’s stablecoin technology with the continent’s evolving financial rails.

With over 30 African countries in the Circle Payments Network and a growing suite of services, Yellow Card’s integration with Circle signals a strong alignment around stablecoin-driven financial inclusion.

However, success will depend on how well the partners navigate Africa’s fragmented and fast-evolving regulatory terrain.

Stay tuned to BitKE for deeper insights into the African stablecoin space.

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