MoneyGram and NALA Partner for Stablecoin Settlement Across Africa and Asia

WHY THIS MATTERS
This partnership is a clear signal that stablecoins are moving from experimentation into core payments infrastructure, particularly in emerging markets where traditional rails have long struggled. Cross-border payouts into regions like Africa and Asia have historically been slow, expensive, and operationally complex due to reliance on correspondent banking networks and pre-funded liquidity.

By introducing stablecoins as the settlement layer, MoneyGram and NALA are effectively compressing settlement times from days to near real-time, while reducing FX friction and dependency on banking hours. The integration with local banks and mobile money networks is key, bridging digital dollars with real-world usability. This is where many previous crypto initiatives have fallen short.

Equally important is the backend impact. Reducing the need for pre-funded accounts across multiple jurisdictions improves capital efficiency for global payment providers, a structural advantage that could reshape how cross-border liquidity is managed at scale.

MoneyGram, a leading global payments network for consumers, businesses and communities, and NALA, a global stablecoin payments company, today announced a strategic partnership to power next-generation cross-border payouts into emerging markets using stablecoin-based settlement infrastructure. 

The partnership combines MoneyGram’s global payments network and distribution reach with NALA’s stablecoin settlement infrastructure and local payout network, enabling value to move between digital dollars and local currencies in near real-time.

Through this collaboration, MoneyGram is leveraging NALA’s licensed stablecoin on- and off-ramp infrastructure platform, Rafiki, to accelerate payouts across Africa and Asia. The platform connects MoneyGram to a growing network of banks and mobile money providers across the region, enabling faster settlement and improved foreign exchange efficiency. 

Modernizing Global Stablecoin Payment Settlement 

For decades, cross-border payouts into emerging markets have relied on complex correspondent banking networks that can cause delays, high FX spreads, and operational inefficiencies. 

Stablecoin settlement infrastructure offers a fundamentally different model. By serving as the settlement layer, stablecoins enable value to move in near real-time across borders while maintaining compliant access to local currencies through regulated payout networks. The result is a global payout system built for the realities of modern digital commerce. 

New Settlement Layer for Global Payouts 

The MoneyGram–NALA partnership introduces a new settlement layer for cross-border payouts. Key consumer benefits include: 

Near real-time settlement 

• Lower FX costs through direct local liquidity 
• 24/7 payouts independent of banking hours 
• Higher reliability via direct bank and mobile money integrations 
• Expanded reach across Africa and Asia

On the backend, this settlement model helps MoneyGram in its initiatives to operate with greater capital efficiency, enhance treasury management and reduce the need for pre-funded liquidity across multiple jurisdictions. 

Executive Commentary 

Anthony Soohoo, Chief Executive Officer of MoneyGram, said: 

“Financial inclusion only matters if it works in the real world. With NALA, we’re leveraging stablecoin settlement infrastructure to improve payout speed, reduce FX costs, and expand our ability to exceptionally serve customers across emerging markets.” 

Benjamin Fernandes, Founder and CEO of NALA, said: 

“Stablecoins are transforming global payments by providing a faster and more efficient settlement layer for cross-border transactions. By partnering with MoneyGram, we’re enabling a new generation of payouts into emerging markets combining the speed of stablecoin settlement with licensed local distribution infrastructure. Together, we’re helping unlock faster, more reliable access to global money movement across Asia and Africa.” 

Unlocking New Economic Flows 

The MoneyGram–NALA partnership supports a growing range of payment use cases across emerging markets, including: 

• Global remittances enabling faster transfers to mobile wallets and bank accounts
• Platform payouts for global marketplaces paying workers and freelancers
• Treasury and liquidity management for companies operating across multiple currencies
• Global collections and local distribution for businesses expanding into emerging markets 

Expanding Stablecoin Innovation in Emerging Markets 

Beyond settlement infrastructure, MoneyGram and NALA are also exploring additional opportunities to deepen their collaboration around stablecoin innovation in emerging markets. Both companies aim to explore new models that expand access to modern financial services across emerging economies.

MoneyGram has been building in the digital asset space for over five years and remains one of the few established financial institutions with live, scaled stablecoin use cases serving real customers across global corridors today. Its early innovations, global cash for on/off-ramps for digital currencies, industry-leading crypto compliance infrastructure and a stablecoin-enabled MoneyGram app are helping bridge the gap between the cash and digital economies. 

FF NEWS TAKE
This is one of the more practical, real-world applications of stablecoins to date. It is not about speculation or trading, it is about fixing a long-standing problem in global payments. MoneyGram brings distribution and trust, while NALA brings modern settlement infrastructure. That combination is powerful.

What stands out is the focus on emerging markets. These regions are not just beneficiaries, they are becoming the proving ground for next-generation financial infrastructure. If this model scales, it could leapfrog traditional banking rails entirely in certain corridors.

The bigger picture is competition. Stablecoins are increasingly positioning themselves as the default settlement layer for global payments. Partnerships like this accelerate that shift and put pressure on legacy systems to modernise.

The key challenge will be regulatory consistency and liquidity depth across markets. If those pieces hold, this model has the potential to become a new standard for cross-border money movement.