When Munene Mathendu, Marketing Manager for Bitget Africa and a key voice for Bitget in Africa, speaks with Techpression about the future of digital finance, he does so with the conviction of someone who sees the transformation not as a distant dream but as a reality already taking root.
For him, the next chapter of Africa’s financial transformation won’t just be about cryptocurrencies or speculation—it will be about tokenisation, stablecoins, and standardised payments, reshaping how individuals and businesses interact with money.
He believes this vision can bridge long-standing access, affordability, and trust gaps within African financial systems.
The promise of tokenisation
Tokenisation, turning real-world assets into digital tokens on a blockchain, is at the heart of Mathendu’s thesis.
“Tokenisation is a game-changer, opening access to assets once thought out of reach,” he told Techpression.
Traditionally, investing in assets like real estate, gold, or global equities required significant capital and, often, residency in specific markets. That effectively locked out millions of Africans who might have the will but not the financial or geographic means.
Tokenisation, however, breaks down these barriers by dividing assets into smaller, tradable digital units.
Imagine a young professional in Kenya buying a fractional stake in a high-rise development in London or a teacher in Lagos purchasing tokenised shares of Tesla without needing a foreign brokerage account. Mathendu sees this kind of access as not only possible but inevitable.
Globally, tokenisation is already gaining traction. BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has spoken openly about its long-term potential. In Africa, the opportunities are even more profound.
Tokenised real estate projects in South Africa and Nigeria are already in pilot stages, and Bitget is positioning itself as a key player enabling fintechs and exchanges to integrate such technologies seamlessly.
Also, thanks to cryptocurrency exchange Luno, which expanded its product to allow African users to invest in United States stocks in countries like Nigeria and South Africa.
Stablecoins in Africa
Cross-border payments have always been a problem for Africa. According to the World Bank, Africans pay some of the highest remittance fees in the world—often above 7 per cent of the total transaction.
Add the slow settlement times, and the problem becomes financial and personal, especially for families relying on remittances to survive.
This is where stablecoins, digital currencies pegged to stable assets like the U.S. dollar, come into play.
“With Africa’s cross-border payment challenges, stablecoins are a lifeline for faster, cheaper, and more secure transactions,” Mathendu explained. “I’ve seen fintechs already offering these services, and what Bitget does is provide the technological resources for them to build on top.”
Indeed, fintechs from Kenya to Ghana are already experimenting with stablecoin-based payment rails, enabling near-instant transfers at fractions of the cost of traditional banks.
For African traders and freelancers who earn in foreign currencies, stablecoins also offer a hedge against local currency volatility, protecting earnings from sudden devaluation.
Nigeria’s recent currency fluctuations highlight just how crucial this can be. By anchoring value to global currencies, stablecoins can stabilise uncertain economic environments.
Standardised payments
Beyond tokenisation and stablecoins, Mathendu also sees the potential for standardised payment solutions that could eliminate constant foreign exchange (FX) conversions.
“Solutions that eliminate FX conversions could simplify international trade and remittances,” he noted.
For businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), currency conversions are more than just an inconvenience—they’re a hidden tax on trade.
A Kenyan exporter selling goods to Nigeria might lose up to 10 per cent in value through back-and-forth conversions between shillings, naira, and dollars.
By creating blockchain-powered payment systems where value moves seamlessly without passing through multiple intermediaries, Africa could unlock new efficiencies for intra-continental trade.
This vision also aligns with the goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to boost trade by removing structural barriers across the region.
The next three to five years of regulation
Of course, innovation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Regulation or the lack of it will determine how quickly Africa embraces these digital finance tools.
Mathendu is optimistic: “The next three to five years will likely bring greater regulatory clarity, with more jurisdictions developing frameworks for exchanges and ecosystem players to operate within.”
This is no small prediction. Across Africa, regulators have often taken a reactive stance toward crypto and blockchain, swinging between bans, warnings, and cautious approvals.
Nigeria’s central bank, for instance, oscillated from banning banks from servicing crypto companies to later creating guidelines for virtual asset providers.
But the momentum is shifting. South Africa has officially recognised crypto assets under its financial laws. Kenya is considering comprehensive digital asset regulation.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has hinted at integrating private sector stablecoin solutions into its financial ecosystem in West Africa.
Clear, consistent regulations could attract institutional investors, legitimising projects that today still struggle with perception issues. More importantly, regulation could protect consumers, ensuring that innovation does not come at the cost of trust.
Bitget’s role in infrastructure for the futures
While some exchanges focus only on listing tokens and attracting traders, Bitget has positioned itself differently. According to Mathendu, the company is increasingly focused on providing infrastructure for fintechs, developers, and businesses that want to build real-world blockchain solutions.
This strategy acknowledges a key reality: Africa’s digital economy won’t be built by exchanges alone, but by the fintechs, developers, and entrepreneurs creating solutions for local problems. By offering technological support, liquidity, and global expertise, Bitget aims to empower these builders.
In many ways, this mirrors the role companies like Visa and Mastercard played in the rise of global digital payments decades ago—not just as service providers but as platforms upon which entire ecosystems were built.
More on infra gaps, high data costs, and low literacy
Africa’s young population, mobile-first economy, and hunger for financial inclusion make it firm ground for digital financial innovation. Yet challenges remain: infrastructural gaps, internet costs, low digital literacy, and regulatory uncertainty.
Still, the tide is shifting. Tokenisation promises to democratize access to wealth. Stablecoins offer cheaper and more reliable cross-border payments. Standardised payments could ease trade within the continent. And with regulatory clarity on the horizon, the stage is set for Africa to leapfrog outdated systems.
As Mathendu reminds us, the change isn’t abstract. It’s happening now, and the pace will only accelerate.
“Tokenisation is a game-changer, opening access to assets once thought out of reach.” His words capture the urgency and optimism of this moment—a signal that Africa’s digital financial future is no longer a question of if, but when.