Circle Internet Group has entered its first major African partnership by collaborating with Sasai Fintech, a unit of Cassava Technologies, to integrate USDC into Sasai’s digital payments infrastructure across key African markets. The deal, announced March 24, 2026, will allow Sasai’s consumer and enterprise users to send and receive payments, including cross-border transfers and remittances, using USDC, a fully reserved U.S. dollar–pegged stablecoin issued by Circle’s regulated affiliates. Sasai currently operates money-transfer and digital wallet services across dozens of African markets and payment corridors, positioning the partnership to target high-friction use cases such as international remittances, business payments, and mobile wallet funding. The collaboration is framed as a way to expand “internet-native” financial infrastructure in Africa by leveraging Circle’s full-stack onchain platform to reduce costs, friction, and settlement times for Sasai’s enterprise and consumer customers. Africa has seen rapid growth in stablecoin usage, driven by mobile-first adoption, demand for cheaper cross-border payments, and increased participation in the digital economy; remittance fees in some African corridors can exceed 7%, creating a clear cost incentive for stablecoin-based rails. By integrating USDC, Sasai aims to connect its user base more directly with global dollar liquidity and always-on payment networks, while Circle gains exposure to high-growth emerging-market corridors through an established regional fintech with broad distribution.

AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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