M-Pesa Africa Partners with ADI Foundation to Bring Blockchain Infrastructure to 60+ Million Users Across Eight Countries

The ADI Foundation  has partnered with M-Pesa Africa  to extend blockchain infrastructure to the platform’s 60+ million monthly users. The partnership outlines a framework for deploying ADI Chain across eight African countries where M-Pesa currently operates.

The partnership will connect M-Pesa’s user base across Kenya, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania with institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure. The collaboration focuses on creating digital rails for individuals and small businesses throughout these emerging markets.

Expanding Financial Access Through Blockchain Rails

Since its 2007 launch in Kenya, M-Pesa has enabled millions to access financial services through mobile devices, bypassing traditional banking barriers. The ADI Foundation collaboration looks to build on this foundation by adding blockchain capabilities to M-Pesa’s existing infrastructure.

“M-Pesa has been amazing in terms of financial inclusion. Our view is that we can push it further again by providing the right digital infrastructure, both for individuals and SMEs. The foundation’s infrastructure can act as the building blocks to accelerate digital transformation.”

– Huy Nguyen Trieu, Council Member on the Board of Advisers, ADI Foundation 

African markets have demonstrated demand for digital asset infrastructure. Data from Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission shows $50 billion in crypto transactions during a 12-month period ending June 2024. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis documented substantial stablecoin usage  in cross-border commerce, particularly for energy sector transactions and merchant settlements between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

M-Pesa’s established mobile money infrastructure across eight countries provides a foundation for extending blockchain capabilities to both individual users and small businesses.

“We are excited to partner with ADI Foundation to tap into their expertise around new technologies and how these can transform financial services.”

-Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CEO, M-Pesa Africa 

Strategic Focus on African Markets

M-Pesa represents ADI Foundation’s most significant African partnership to date. Nguyen Trieu stated that African users will comprise a major segment of the foundation’s goal to onboard one billion people to blockchain by 2030.

Africa stands as a critical market for blockchain infrastructure. With 42% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa remaining unbanked , traditional financial systems have left hundreds of millions without access. Yet demand for digital financial solutions is clear: Africans have embraced crypto to hedge against currency volatility, with stablecoins particularly attractive due to their dollar peg. Mobile money platforms like M-Pesa have already demonstrated how digital infrastructure can reach populations that traditional banking cannot.

ADI Chain solves the specific problems that have slowed down institutional blockchain adoption across African markets: this infrastructure provides regulatory compliance frameworks that work within local requirements, transaction infrastructure operates within existing payment rails, and security standards meet government expectations, allowing institutions to deploy blockchain technology without compromising sovereignty or control.

ADI Chain will also support cross-border payment settlement for Abu Dhabi-based enterprises operating across international markets through the dirham-backed stablecoin, estimated for early 2026.

ADI Foundation currently maintains active partnerships spanning 20 countries, with more than 50 institutional, enterprise, and government projects preparing to deploy on the network.

Technical Foundation

First Abu Dhabi Bank and IHC will issue a UAE Dirham-backed stablecoin on ADI Chain under regulatory oversight from the UAE Central Bank. This structure creates a compliance blueprint for mobile money platforms evaluating blockchain integration.

ADI Chain’s architecture rests on three core principles: regulatory compliance embedded at the infrastructure level, operational efficiency through advanced cryptography, and institutional-grade security protocols. The network implements ZKsync’s Airbender technology, representing the first production deployment of this zero-knowledge proof system. ADI Infrastructure partners include Alchemy for reliable RPC infrastructure and real-time data services, WalletConnect for wallet-to-application connectivity, and Covalent for blockchain data indexing.

Sirius International Holding, the technology arm of IHC – the largest publicly-traded conglomerate in MENA – established the ADI Foundation in December 2024. The foundation operates from Abu Dhabi with a specific mandate: create government-grade blockchain systems that work within the operational constraints of emerging market governments and financial institutions.

The M-Pesa partnership provides a model for how existing mobile money platforms with proven reach can add blockchain capabilities through purpose-built infrastructure designed for regulatory environments in developing economies. For M-Pesa, blockchain integration is going to enable cross-border payment settlement, stablecoin transactions that help users manage currency volatility, and access to digital financial services beyond traditional mobile money.