Blockchain payments company Ripple has acquired an equity stake in African fintech giant Flutterwave, deepening its push into one of the world’s fastest-growing cross-border payments markets.
Flutterwave CEO Olugbenga Agboola said the undisclosed investment values the company at $3.3 billion, according to Bloomberg. The deal gives Ripple exposure to Africa’s expanding payments ecosystem while providing Flutterwave with additional resources to scale its financial infrastructure.
The investment makes Ripple a shareholder rather than an owner or commercial partner. Flutterwave operates in 35 African countries and has recently expanded its digital asset offerings by integrating stablecoin payment services.
As part of the deal, Flutterwave will integrate Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, Ripple Payments and the XRP Ledger to make cross-border transactions faster and more cost-effective.
Source: Flutterwave
The deal is the latest step in Ripple’s broader strategy to expand its blockchain-based payments network across Africa, where demand for faster and lower-cost international transfers continues to grow. Last October, Ripple partnered with South Africa’s Absa Bank to provide digital asset custody solutions to institutional clients.
Related: Bybit Pay enters South Africa through MoneyBadger integration
Stablecoins gain traction in Africa’s remittance market
Africa has emerged as a key growth market for digital asset payments, driven largely by the continent’s sizable remittance flows and demand for lower-cost cross-border transfers.
A September 2025 Chainalysis report found that crypto adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa climbed 52% over 12 months, with more than $205 billion in onchain transactions recorded. At the time, the region ranked as the world’s third-fastest-growing crypto market.
Onchain volumes in Sub-Saharan Africa have surged since 2022. Source: Chainalysis
Stablecoins have played a central role in that growth, offering a dollar-denominated alternative that can make international payments faster and less expensive. The opportunity has attracted other major issuers, including USDC issuer Circle, which recently partnered with African fintech Sasai to expand USDC-based payment services across the region with a focus on remittances.
The World Bank estimates that sending a typical $200 remittance to Sub-Saharan Africa costs recipients between $13 and $17 in fees, compared with as little as $0.50 for transfers using USDt (USDT) on Tron or as little as $2 for transfers using USDC on Ethereum.
Related: Africrypt founders back in South Africa years after platform collapse: Report