Kora launches One Rail to integrate stablecoin payments for African merchants

Kora, a pan-African payment infrastructure provider, has launched One Rail, a new service designed to integrate stablecoin payments into existing merchant workflows. The platform allows businesses to collect, hold, convert, and settle funds using digital currencies like USDT and USDC alongside traditional fiat rails.

According to Kora CEO Dickson Nsofor, African businesses are increasingly adopting stablecoins to bypass structural hurdles in cross-border commerce, such as slow international settlement times, high foreign exchange costs, and limited access to US dollar liquidity. Nsofor noted that traditional banking transfers for international suppliers can take between 10 to 14 days, whereas stablecoins offer a more efficient settlement layer.

The One Rail infrastructure is built to be accessible to developers without specialized blockchain expertise, utilizing Kora’s existing APIs. Merchants can manage liquidity by holding digital dollar balances or converting them into local fiat currencies for settlement into local bank accounts. Nsofor highlighted that remittance costs in Africa average between 8% and 8.8%, significantly higher than the global average of 6.49%.