Article
4 min read time
Executive Summary
Utila has joined the Africa Blockchain Institute (ABI) Membership Network. The membership connects Utila with ABI’s pan-African ecosystem of policymakers, researchers, financial institutions, and blockchain innovators – giving Utila a seat in the conversations shaping how institutions adopt digital assets across the continent. This partnership marks a significant step toward advancing the development of secure, scalable, and institution-ready digital asset infrastructure across Africa.
Why This Partnership Matters
Sub-Saharan Africa received over $205 billion in on-chain value between mid-2024 and mid-2025, up 52% year over year. Stablecoins account for 43% of all crypto transaction volume in the region, driven by cross-border payments, treasury management, and currency hedging. But while grassroots and fintech-led adoption is accelerating, most enterprises and financial institutions still lack the custody, policy controls, and compliance tooling to operate digital assets at institutional scale.
The Africa Blockchain Institute, headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, wants to change that. As a pan-African think-and-do tank, ABI shapes policy recommendations, runs blockchain education and capacity-building programs, and convenes the governments, enterprises, and innovators building Africa’s digital economy. Joining its Membership Network gives Utila direct visibility into the regulatory and ecosystem developments across the continent – from CBDC exploration to tokenization frameworks and cross-border payment regulation – and the opportunity to contribute institutional infrastructure expertise to those conversations.
The addition of Utila to our network comes at a defining moment for Africa’s digital transformation. As governments and enterprises increasingly explore blockchain for governance, finance, and infrastructure, Utila’s expertise in institutional-grade digital asset and stablecoin infrastructure will be instrumental in ensuring these innovations are secure, compliant, and sustainable.
Kayode Babarinde, Executive Director of the Africa Blockchain Institute.
What Utila Brings to African Markets
Utila provides MPC-secured wallet infrastructure, granular policy controls, robust APIs, and a stablecoin operations engine purpose-built for institutional use. The platform serves fintechs, payment processors, OTC desks, neobanks, and enterprises managing stablecoin payments, treasury operations, trading, and tokenization workflows across 60+ blockchain networks.
For organizations operating in African markets, the infrastructure requirements are shaped by the region’s specific dynamics. Cross-border stablecoin volumes are growing fast, and the fintechs building on those flows need wallet infrastructure that handles throughput, multi-chain complexity, and compliance at institutional scale. Africa’s regulatory landscape is also evolving rapidly – South Africa has approved 59 crypto operating licenses, Nigeria’s SEC launched its Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Program, and several other countries are drafting frameworks.
Institutions need configurable policy engines and audit trails that adapt as those rules take shape. And expanding across multiple countries simultaneously means navigating different regulatory regimes, currencies, and banking relationships. This is where Utila’s consolidated operational layer – wallet management, transaction policies, compliance workflows in one platform – becomes a practical advantage.
Africa is one of the most promising frontiers for stablecoin innovation and institutional digital asset adoption. Joining the Africa Blockchain Institute allows us to collaborate with leading policymakers, innovators, and financial institutions working to build secure, compliant, and inclusive financial infrastructure across the continent. We’re excited to contribute our expertise in institutional wallet infrastructure and stablecoin operations to help power the next wave of digital finance in Africa.
Bentzi Rabi, Co-founder & CEO of Utila.
Looking Ahead
As regulators across Africa build digital asset frameworks and fintechs bring stablecoins further into mainstream commerce, the demand for institutional-grade infrastructure will grow. Utila’s presence in the ABI Membership Network ensures the company is close to those developments as they unfold – positioned to support the ecosystem with the custody, policy, and compliance tooling that institutional adoption requires.
About the Africa Blockchain Institute (ABI)
The Africa Blockchain Institute (ABI) is a pan-African think-and-do tank advancing blockchain education, research, policy, and enterprise development. Through strategic programs,ecosystem partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives, ABI works to drive blockchain adoption and innovation that supports Africa’s sustainable digital transformation. Learn more at africablockchain.institute.
About Utila
Utila is the secure, all-in-one infrastructure for institutional stablecoin and digital-asset operations. Utila provides MPC wallets, granular policy controls, robust APIs, and a payments and tokenization engine, with integrations across banking rails, AML/KYT, exchanges, and DeFi. Trusted by 200+ institutions, Utila processes $20B+ in monthly volume and has secured $200B+ in transactions. Learn more at utila.io.
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