Payment company Flutterwave has partnered with financial infrastructure provider Caliza to expand access to global payment and treasury services for African businesses. The partnership gives Flutterwave's customers dedicated USD accounts connected to domestic and international payment rails, including ACH, Fedwire, RTP and SWIFT.
The arrangement is designed to address longstanding challenges African businesses face in accessing USD liquidity and international payment infrastructure. Through the partnership, customers can receive, transfer and convert funds across fiat currencies and stablecoins directly through Flutterwave's platform. The companies said the use of stablecoins such as USDC and USDT is intended to reduce dependence on traditional correspondent banking channels, which have historically added cost and delay to cross-border transactions involving African markets. Correspondent banking relationships have come under pressure in the region in recent years, with several international banks scaling back ties to African financial institutions, a trend that has increased the cost of moving USD in and out of the continent.
Treasury operations and transaction scope
Beyond customer-facing payments, the infrastructure also supports Flutterwave's own treasury operations. This includes managing USD and stablecoin balances, funding operating accounts, and moving large-value positions across liquidity reserves and custody platforms. According to Flutterwave, the infrastructure can support a range of transaction types, from retail remittances, payroll and supplier payments to treasury transfers exceeding USD 1 million. The company said the setup allows it to maintain control over the customer experience while relying on Caliza's infrastructure layer to combine multiple financial services, currencies and payment rails.
A Flutterwave official said the aim was to give African businesses access to global payment infrastructure without passing on the associated complexity, adding that the partnership with Caliza allows the company to combine a broad range of financial services, currencies and payment rails within a single infrastructure layer while retaining control of the customer experience.
Market context
The partnership reflects a broader trend among African fintechs to integrate stablecoin rails alongside conventional payment infrastructure as a means of addressing USD access constraints. For businesses operating across African markets, USD liquidity remains a persistent operational issue, particularly for import-dependent sectors and companies engaged in cross-border trade. By pairing regulated USD account infrastructure with stablecoin settlement options, the partnership positions Flutterwave to serve both retail and corporate treasury use cases from a single platform, rather than requiring separate arrangements for payments and liquidity management.
Neither company disclosed financial terms of the partnership or a timeline for full rollout across Flutterwave's markets.
