Nigeria’s Daya Taps Aptos to Power Africa-Middle East Stablecoin Payments

Why It Matters

The partnership supplies the regulated infrastructure Africa needs to scale stablecoin usage, lowering costs and settlement times for cross‑border trade and giving Aptos a foothold in a high‑growth market.

Key Takeaways

• Daya partners with Aptos and HashKey MENA for Africa‑Middle East corridor
• Businesses can convert local currencies to stablecoins and settle on Aptos
• Pilot adds regulated fiat on/off‑ramps via HashKey in the UAE
• Aptos aims to boost liquidity and adoption in emerging markets

Pulse Analysis

Stablecoin adoption across Africa has outpaced many regions, but the continent still lacks a seamless, regulated bridge to global markets. Daya, founded in late 2025, fills that gap by offering a turnkey solution that converts local currencies—such as the Nigerian Naira—into programmable stablecoins. By settling on the Aptos layer‑1, the pilot leverages a blockchain known for fast finality and low fees, while providing businesses with API‑driven integration, virtual accounts and direct bank transfers. This model mirrors successful fintech‑crypto hybrids in Southeast Asia, positioning Africa as a new frontier for digital payments.

Aptos’ entry into Africa‑Middle East corridors reflects a strategic shift from pure DeFi and NFT use cases toward real‑world payment infrastructure. The partnership with HashKey MENA adds a regulated fiat on‑ramp in the United Arab Emirates, ensuring compliance with AML/KYC standards and enabling swift conversion back to local cash. Compared with rivals like Base, BNB Chain and Solana, Aptos processes fewer stablecoin transactions but compensates with targeted ecosystem partnerships that drive volume. By anchoring the settlement layer on a blockchain with a $568.7 million market cap, Daya and HashKey aim to attract liquidity providers and boost transaction throughput.

For the broader payments landscape, the corridor demonstrates how blockchain can bypass costly correspondent banking routes that traditionally inflate fees and delay settlements. If the pilot scales, it could catalyze similar corridors across other emerging markets, pressuring legacy providers to modernize. Moreover, Aptos’ growing portfolio of African collaborations—such as the earlier Yellow Card deal—signals a concerted effort to become the go‑to settlement layer for cross‑border fintechs, potentially reshaping the competitive dynamics of global stablecoin networks.