Olugbenga ‘GB’ Agboola, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Flutterwave, has outlined a bold vision for transforming Africa’s financial landscape, describing stablecoins as a major upgrade to the continent’s cross-border payment infrastructure.
Speaking at two high-profile sessions during Money20/20 Europe in Amsterdam, Agboola said the companies best positioned to benefit from the rise of stablecoins are those with strong local distribution networks and deep regulatory compliance capabilities that can convert digital assets into practical financial solutions.
During a fireside chat titled “Building the Rails: Stablecoin Architecture from Lagos to London,” alongside Dima Kats, Founder and Group Executive Chair of Clear Junction, Agboola explained that stablecoins should not be viewed as a separate product category. Instead, he described them as a faster settlement layer built on top of Flutterwave’s extensive local and international payment infrastructure.
According to him, stablecoins offer businesses operating across multiple African markets a powerful tool for liquidity and foreign exchange management, allowing transactions to continue seamlessly even when traditional banking systems are unavailable.
“Stablecoin is completely different because money moves at the speed of the internet, not at the speed of banks. If you pay with stablecoin, the money arrives instantly,” Agboola said.
He also addressed concerns that stablecoins could eliminate the need for payment infrastructure providers, noting that while wallet-to-wallet transfers are relatively simple, regulatory compliance, anti-money laundering requirements, and last-mile payouts into local bank accounts remain complex challenges that require robust infrastructure.
Agboola emphasized that Flutterwave has spent years building systems capable of protecting customer funds regardless of whether transactions are conducted through stablecoins or traditional fiat currencies. He said the company’s infrastructure provides users with a single, chain-agnostic wallet address supported across major blockchains, ensuring both security and reliability.
Speaking separately on Fintech.TV’s Market Movers programme from the New York Stock Exchange broadcast centre, Agboola reflected on Flutterwave’s 10-year journey and outlined its ambitions for the decade ahead.
He explained that while the company’s first decade focused on connecting Africa’s fragmented payment ecosystem through a unified API, the next phase will centre on establishing Flutterwave as the continent’s financial operating system.
Agboola said Flutterwave’s recently secured microfinance banking licence in Nigeria marks a significant step in that direction, enabling the company to evolve from a payment facilitator into a foundational financial infrastructure provider. The move is expected to reduce transaction friction, improve network reliability, and unlock new opportunities across the financial ecosystem.
The strategy supports Flutterwave’s broader goal of creating a multi-rail financial infrastructure where stablecoins and traditional payment systems operate seamlessly together to drive economic growth across Africa.
To strengthen its cross-border capabilities, Flutterwave continues to expand partnerships with global digital asset and blockchain firms, including Circle, Polygon, Fireblocks Flow, Nuvion, and Tempo. These collaborations are helping position the company as a leading regulated stablecoin infrastructure provider across Africa.
