Bringing stablecoin payments to everyday life in Africa

WalletConnect Pay, the infrastructure powering crypto and stablecoin payments at global scale, announced its availability through Ezeebit, a leading crypto payment service provider for African businesses.

The Ezeebit integration, launching in South Africa, allows merchants to accept cryptocurrency payments in-store and online with the same simplicity as traditional card transactions. Customers will be able to pay with stablecoins such as USDC, USDT, EURC, EURAU and AUSD. Merchants will have the option to settle in both stablecoins and fiat.

To better understand what this launch means for businesses and the future of crypto payments in Africa, we spoke with Lewis Nurcombe, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at WalletConnect.

Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest-growing crypto regions in the world, with on-chain activity up 52% last year. What excites you most about the opportunity there?

What excites me is the demand and the abundance. In much of Sub-Saharan Africa, people already hold stablecoins to protect themselves against fluctuating local currencies. Many are paid in stablecoins or receive them as remittances from family and friends abroad. That means there is a large and growing base of people with a balance ready to spend. What’s been missing is an easy way to spend those balances at the businesses people use every day, like the local shop, the restaurant down the street, or the online store they buy from regularly. That’s the gap WalletConnect Pay closes. Our network already connects 700+ wallets and more than 900 million users, so the infrastructure and the audience are already there. When a South African business turns on stablecoin and crypto payments, customers can pay directly from wallets they already hold and trust, such as Trust Wallet and MetaMask, without needing to download anything new or convert their funds first.

WalletConnect Pay just launched in South Africa through local crypto payments company Ezeebit, starting with the hotel group The Capital. What will paying with crypto look like for a guest checking in?

It should feel as familiar as paying by card. At the front desk, the guest simply chooses to pay with stablecoins or crypto instead of cash or card. From there, they tap their phone, scan a QR code or open a payment link, whichever is more convenient. Then they approve the payment in the wallet they already use every day. There’s no new app to download, no account to set up, and no extra steps standing between the guest and their room, for example. Network fees are covered by default, so the guest doesn’t need to hold a separate token just to pay them, which removes one of the most common points of friction in crypto payments, so neither side has to worry about conversions. Settlement is instant, which means the booking is confirmed on the spot and the guest can check in without delay. On top of that, guests earn 2% cashback in $WCT on every purchase, which gives them a reason to choose stablecoins at checkout over other payment methods.

Guests can pay from more than 700 wallets, including MetaMask and Trust Wallet, while merchants can choose to receive stablecoins or local currency. Why does that flexibility matter for businesses?

Businesses shouldn’t have to change how they run their finances to take a new payment method. Some want to hold stablecoins, whether as a hedge or because they already transact in them. Many want local currency in the bank, just as they get it today from card and cash payments. Letting each business choose means stablecoin and crypto payments fit into its existing treasury and accounting, without adding new risk or new complexity for the finance team. On the guest side, having access to 700+ wallets means a traveller from Lagos, London, or Singapore can most likely pay with the wallet already on their phone, with no need to set up anything new before their trip. Add instant settlement, clear payment data for reconciliation, sanctions screening before money moves, and lower acceptance costs than card networks. At that point, accepting stablecoins is a simple business decision.

Why was Ezeebit the right partner to bring WalletConnect Pay to African businesses?

Payments are local. Businesses want a partner who understands their market, speaks their language and can help them settle in local currency. Ezeebit is a local crypto payments company that works with businesses on the ground. WalletConnect brings the network: 700+ wallets, all major blockchains, and compliance built into every payment. Together, a South African business gets one integration that reaches stablecoin and crypto holders worldwide, with a local partner beside it.

Ezeebit also operates in Kenya and Nigeria. What does success in South Africa unlock for WalletConnect Pay across the rest of Africa?

Our focus right now is launching with The Capital in South Africa. We’re excited to have the model live with real businesses and real guests, settling in local currency. Hospitality is a strong place to start because hotels serve both local customers and international travellers. Ezeebit’s presence in Kenya and Nigeria shows how much appetite there is across the continent. What we learn in South Africa will shape where we go next, and we’ll share more when we’re ready. The long-term goal is to make paying with a stablecoin anywhere in Africa as easy as paying with a card.

Looking ahead five years, what role do you see stablecoins playing in everyday shopping, both in South Africa and globally?

I expect stablecoins to become a normal option at checkout, the way contactless did. Most shoppers won’t think of it as crypto. It will just be another way to pay from their balance, settling instantly and at lower cost for the business. In South Africa and across the continent, that matters for international visitors, for people paying across borders, and for anyone who already holds savings in stablecoins. Globally, traditional finance and digital assets are coming together on one network, with banks, fintechs, and wallets all moving money as stablecoins. Our job is to make sure that whatever wallet someone holds, they can pay any business, online or in-store.

 

About Lewis Nurcombe 

Lewis Nurcombe is a fintech and payments leader with over a decade scaling global money movement businesses across Currencycloud and Visa, currently serving as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at WalletConnect. At Currencycloud he was General Manager of its European entity, building out the company's European operations post-Brexit. After Visa's acquisition, he held senior roles including Global Head of Business Development for Treasury-as-a-Service and Head of Visa Direct – UK & Ireland. He previously held commercial roles at Dow Jones and Serrala.

 

About WalletConnect

WalletConnect is the digital asset infrastructure powering payments, trading and compliance at global scale. Founded in 2018, the WalletConnect network connects over 900 million users and thousands of institutions across 700+ wallets and all major blockchains, and powered more than $400 billion in transaction volume in 2025.