During the Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2026, the major exchanges in the crypto space detailed their intentions to deepen their involvement in Africa’s payments sector. Speakers indicated that exchanges are no longer just used for trading financially. These exchanges now cater to settlements, treasury services, and compliance systems, as well as business payments across borders.
How Exchanges Are Changing Their Approach In Africa
Executives revealed their plans during the panel, “The Role of Exchanges in Africa’s Evolving Financial System.” Officials from Luno, Bitget, and Busha spoke about how stablecoins are being incorporated into real business activities.
Luno Country Manager Kenya, Apollo Sande, said compliance is fast becoming a competitive advantage for exchanges. Further, he said the higher due diligence requirements are driving increased traffic to the centralised platforms.
For this, Sande mentioned that they’re committed to serving users who seek safer transactional environments. He also noted increasing anxieties over illegal activities on poorly regulated peer-to-peer networks.
However, Sunny Joseph Imohimi, Regional P2P Manager for the Middle East and Africa at Bitget, said that they’re trying to simplify user access. He stated that exchanges are attempting to lower onboarding friction and ratchet up KYC and security requirements.
In addition, he said that trust, usability, and platform reliability are critical elements in the adoption process in Africa’s markets today.
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What Is Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2026 All About?
The two-day event commenced at ASK Dome in Nairobi on May 14-15. The official theme of the event was “Stablecoins, Payments & The Next Phase of Africa’s Digital Economy.”
Thus, it included presentations on payment infrastructure, mass adoption of stablecoins, digital asset regulations, and cross-border settlements. Meanwhile, the Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference 2026 first panel was dedicated to connecting mobile money, financial institutions with stablecoin payment rails in Africa.
Furthermore, the program also featured workshops on the existing work of businesses in international money transfers on blockchain networks. Other sessions covered the implementation of regulation in African markets, treasury management, and stablecoin infrastructure.
Stablecoins On The Rise For Business Payments
At Kenya Blockchain & Crypto Conference, Busha Business Operations Manager Chebet Kipingor opened up on working with crypto payments. She said the company has been working on reworking some segments of its platform mainly around business payment needs.
The efforts have persisted for nearly a year now. Moreover, she revealed that manufacturers, startups, exporters and importers are keen on adopting stablecoins for faster and cheaper international transfers.
In the Kenya event, Kipingor added that interest in treasury products related to the reserves of stablecoins is also on the rise. Some companies with dollar denominated balances prefer to earn a return on their dollars rather than having them sit unused, she said.
In the meantime, the lack of growth in crypto usage for everyday payments was also a topic of discussion. Speakers cited the settlement of merchants, remittance payments, school fees, and medical cost settlements as emerging applications of stablecoins.
Despite that, speculations still make up a massive portion of the stablecoin trading volume on exchanges, Apollo Sande said. He further noted that the business settlements and treasury operations are still underdeveloped in the digital economy in Africa when compared to the potential for the longer term.
Also Read: Kenya Eyes Removing Crypto Anonymity In New Finance Law
