Stablecoins Nigeria Payments Are Rising as FX Pressure Persists

When Nigerian businesses cannot get dollars easily, they do not pause operations, they find alternatives. That reality is driving stablecoins Nigeria payments into everyday business use, far beyond trading apps and crypto speculation.

Lasbery Chioma Oludimu, Vice President of Operations and Managing Director at Yellowcard, says the growth is tied to something simple; necessity. Companies need to pay international invoices, they need to settle supplier accounts, they need dollar liquidity that does not depend on bank allocation windows.

“Stablecoins are actually solving real problems,” Oludimu said, referring to the increasing number of businesses using digital dollars for cross-border transactions.

Between July 2023 and July 2024, Nigeria processed nearly $22 billion in stablecoin transactions, according to industry data. Across Africa, more than $54 billion moved through stablecoins in 2025. Those numbers point to activity rooted in commerce, not just trading.

What makes stablecoins Nigeria payments different from past crypto waves is intent. Businesses are not chasing price swings. They are looking for settlement certainty. An importer paying a supplier in Asia cannot afford delays. A startup paying remote engineers needs predictability. Stablecoins offer round-the-clock access to dollar-pegged value without waiting on traditional FX channels.

That does not mean banks are irrelevant. Many businesses still rely on them for core operations. Yet when FX becomes tight or slow, digital dollar rails provide a parallel option. Payments move faster. Costs are often clearer. Access is more flexible.

Oludimu noted that banks and telecom operators could play a larger role in expanding stablecoin infrastructure across Africa. If that happens, stablecoins Nigeria payments could move from workaround to mainstream tool.

For policymakers, this growth presents a balancing act. On one side is innovation solving immediate liquidity gaps. On the other is the broader question of dollarization and monetary control. For businesses, however, the calculation is more direct. If a payment needs to move today, the method that works is the one that wins. Stablecoins are increasingly being chosen for that reason.