Table of Contents
TL;DR,
- Yellow Card processed $6B with 99% in stablecoins; Thunes now enables stablecoin payments for enterprises, cutting 6.6% fees to under 3% with near-instant settlement.
- The partnership merges Thunes’ global rails with Yellow Card’s licensed on/off ramps across 20 countries and 14 currencies, delivering faster, cheaper cross‑border payouts.
- The move signals the mainstreaming of stablecoins for treasury management and global commerce, offering a hedge against inflation and a bridge to the global economy for emerging markets.
We have had various phases fueling the crypto hype. In 2022, it was the memecoin frenzy; in 2018, it was the ICO boom, but in 2025, it’s the stablecoin frenzy. Thunes, a global cross-border payments network, just partnered with Yellow Card to enable stablecoin payments across Africa.
Thunes Partners with Yellow Card to Dominate Digital Dollars
The tides have changed in finance, and now USDT, USDC, and PYUSD are some of the core mediums of cross-border transactions. Throughout the years Yellow Card has become a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, and Thunes has become its latest integrator.
According to the official announcements, Thunes’s global rails, enterprise clientele, and business will now be able to pay and get paid using stablecoins. This move aims to leverage the African fintech’s services to improve treasury and liquidity operations through digital asset settlements. The agreement follows Thunes’ U.S. expansion after obtaining money transmission licenses in all 50 states to serve companies based there.
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According to the global payment system, Yellow Card is a good choice because it has processed $6 billion in transactions, with stablecoins making up 99% of its activity. Fees for traditional remittance systems are usually 6.6% of the amount sent, and it can take 2 to 5 days to settle. Yellow Card, on the other hand, offers almost instant global payouts through its blockchain-powered rails. It often lowers costs to less than 3%, and some corridors even go below a cent.
In 2024, the platform received nearly $100 billion in remittances, contributing to Africa’s “stablecoin hype.” The African fintech has a straightforward model; while crypto assets are within its purview, USD-pegged stablecoins are its most sought-after services. They also rely on licensed on- and off-ramps to convert between digital dollars and local currencies. In inflation-prone economies such as Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia, it’s a hedge against inflation. Hence, Yellow Card has managed to spread through 20 African countries, offering access to 14 different local currencies.
imgaesource: yellowcard
Threading this network through Thunes’ clientele, global payouts become everyday transactions.
Chris Maurice, CEO of Yellow Card, said:
“This collaboration with Thunes marks a major milestone in our mission to connect emerging markets to global liquidity. By combining Yellow Card stablecoin efficiency with Thunes’ Direct Global Network, we’re enabling businesses to move money faster, cheaper, and more transparently, fueling growth and financial inclusion.”
Chloe Mayenobe, President and Chief Operating Officer at Thunes, commented,
“Thunes is committed to building bridges between the traditional and digital financial ecosystems, driving global payment interoperability in the process.
Working with Yellow Card allows us to deliver more efficient liquidity solutions and cross-border payments for businesses, supporting our mission to enable the next billion end users in emerging markets to access the global economy.”
99% Stablecoins, 100% Disruption: The Numbers Behind the Network
At the technical level, the partnership will focus on stablecoin API integration, allowing Thunes to route value over one of Africa’s fastest and most cost-effective paths. Fortunately, Yellow Card’s local liquidity and compliance footprint is a major win, relieving Thunes of weeks of developments and court proceedings.
Yellow Card’s transaction data explains why it serves best as a stablecoin API integration. As per official record, stablecoins represent 90% of its platform’s volume in 2022-2023 and now account for 99% of a $6 billion processed transaction total. USDT drives 88.5% of that flow, followed by USDC at 9.9%.
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Concrete network advantages Yellow Card already supports can flow through the Thunes stack:
- Speed and reliability: USDC on Stellar settles in roughly 3–5 seconds; Solana offers sub-second confirmations; Polygon typically lands transactions with minimal delay.
- Cost compression: Fees can drop from the 6.6% global average to under 3%—and often to pennies or fractions of a cent on networks like Solana or Polygon.
- Local accessibility: Licensed on- and off-ramps bridge Naira, Cedi, Rand, Shilling, and more—bringing digital dollars within reach of users who lack traditional international banking access.
Yellow Card’s strategic partnerships stitch together a multi-rail stablecoin ecosystem that delivers speed, low cost, liquidity, and regulatory credibility across Africa. For instance, native USDC on Stellar and Circle integrations provides sub-second to multi-second settlement with reserve transparency and euro options.
The platform’s partnership with Tether expanded its network to Tron, Polygon, Solana, and Celo, giving users network choice and ultra-low fees, while Yellow Card’s treasury captures cross-chain arbitrage. Its PYUSD access opens direct PayPal/Venmo corridors without requiring PayPal accounts. The Visa integration wires stablecoin rails into Visa Direct for corporate settlement into bank accounts and cards, while its Ripple partnership brings an NYDFS-licensed, institution-grade option on the Ripple Ledger.
Yellow Card became Africa’sfirs fintech to offer pyusd.[Photo: CommonWealthChamber]
The Thunes stablecoin integration lets African businesses enter the global market by combining network speed, lower costs, and reliable value.
Stablecoin Payments Goes Mainstream
Stablecoin payments have set a new pace for adoption in Africa, and the Thunes-Yellow Card partnership is one of many facilitators of this moment. Soon stablecoin-powered cross-border transactions will dominate, with global payment systems rolling out their own version. As adoption grows, economic participation will soon follow after institutional adoption peaks.
The Thunes stablecoin integration is well-placed to help enterprises move value with fewer intermediaries, broader currency protection, and experiences approaching instant global payouts—a pragmatic win for operators across emerging markets.
