LAGOS, Nigeria — Esca Finance, a Nigerian-founded foreign exchange and treasury management startup, has partnered with MANSA, a stablecoin-powered liquidity provider backed by Tether, to facilitate same-day settlements across key African payment corridors. As partners, they aim to reduce capital inefficiencies that have long slowed cross-border payments on the continent.
The partnership combines Esca Finance’s FX sourcing, banking relationships, and local payout infrastructure with MANSA’s stablecoin-backed liquidity network. Together, the companies say they will support payment providers and remittance firms operating across markets, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone West and Central Africa.
Tackling Africa’s Prefunding Challenge
Cross-border payment operators in Africa often maintain prefunded accounts in multiple countries before transactions can be processed. While this model helps ensure settlement, it also locks up significant working capital and increases operational costs.
Under the new arrangement, MANSA will provide liquidity at the point transactions are initiated, reducing the need for businesses to maintain large idle balances across several markets. The model is designed to improve capital efficiency while accelerating settlement times.
The challenge of prefunding has become increasingly significant as African fintechs expand regionally and seek faster payment infrastructure to support trade, remittances, and treasury operations. Industry participants have increasingly turned to stablecoin-based settlement networks as a potential solution.
MANSA Expands Stablecoin Liquidity Network
The partnership comes as MANSA continues expanding its footprint in emerging markets.
In February 2025, the company secured $10 million in funding led by Tether, including a $3 million pre-seed round and an additional $7 million in liquidity financing. The funding was earmarked for expanding MANSA’s stablecoin-powered liquidity infrastructure and addressing cross-border payment bottlenecks.
MANSA’s platform uses stablecoins such as USDT to provide liquidity for payment providers, enabling faster settlement and reducing reliance on traditional banking infrastructure. The company says its model helps eliminate settlement delays while improving access to liquidity across multiple jurisdictions.
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Stablecoins Gain Ground in African Payments
The Esca-MANSA collaboration reflects a broader trend across Africa’s payments sector, where stablecoins are increasingly being adopted for institutional settlements, treasury management, remittances, and cross-border trade.
Industry executives have argued that stablecoins can reduce transaction costs, improve settlement speed, and help businesses navigate foreign exchange shortages that affect several African markets. Banks, fintechs, and mobile money providers are also exploring stablecoin integrations as regulatory clarity improves across the continent.
For payment companies operating across multiple African countries, faster access to liquidity could reduce operational friction and support expansion into new markets.
As demand for efficient cross-border payment infrastructure grows, partnerships like the one between Esca Finance and MANSA highlight how fintech firms are increasingly combining traditional financial services with blockchain-based settlement rails to address longstanding challenges in African commerce.
Key Takeaways
- Esca Finance has partnered with Tether-backed MANSA to support same-day payment settlements across Africa.
- The partnership targets major payment corridors, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone African markets.
- MANSA’s stablecoin-powered liquidity model aims to reduce prefunding requirements for payment operators.
- The collaboration reflects growing institutional adoption of stablecoins for cross-border payments in Africa.
