Kora launches One Rail to enable stablecoin payments in Africa

By Divya Shah

Kora launched One Rail, a stablecoin-enabled payments platform that allows African merchants to collect, convert and settle cross-border payments using stablecoins and fiat rails has launched One Rail, a new payments infrastructure platform that enables merchants to collect, hold, convert and settle funds using stablecoins alongside traditional fiat payment rails.

The pan-African payment infrastructure provider introduced One Rail as part of its efforts to address longstanding cross-border payment challenges faced by businesses across Africa, including slow settlement times, high foreign exchange conversion costs, limited access to US dollar liquidity and fragmented payment infrastructure.

Through the platform, merchants can leverage stablecoins and digital settlement networks to facilitate faster cross-border value transfers while reducing operational complexity. Kora initially supported USD-backed stablecoins USDT and USDC, with plans to add other major stablecoins based on market demand as well as regulatory and operational readiness.

Dickson Nsofor, CEO and Founder of Kora, said, “Cross-border commerce in Africa is hindered by high friction and remittance costs averaging 8–8.8% compared to the 6.49% global average. At the same time, stablecoin ownership in Africa is now at 78%.”

Built as an extension of Kora’s existing infrastructure, One Rail was designed to enable businesses to integrate stablecoin functionality without requiring specialist blockchain expertise. Developers can access the new capabilities through the same Kora APIs and developer tools already used for existing payment services.

The platform also provides dedicated wallet generation for receiving stablecoin payments, real-time transaction tracking and automated payment reconciliation through the Kora Dashboard. Merchants can hold digital dollar balances or convert them into supported local currencies and settle funds directly into local bank accounts through Kora’s payout rails.

Nsofor added: “At Kora, we provide the financial infrastructure connecting Africa to the world’s digital economy. One Rail levels the playing field, enabling merchants to integrate stablecoin payments into their existing payment stack, delivering the speed, cost efficiency, and access needed to drive business growth across the continent.”

According to Kora, the launch is aimed at helping African businesses improve access to cross-border financial services while benefiting from faster settlement and greater flexibility in managing international payments.