A financial technology initiative based in Abu Dhabi is preparing to expand its blockchain infrastructure across Africa through a partnership with mobile money platform M-Pesa. An executive involved in the project indicated that the collaboration is designed to bring blockchain-based services to millions of users across the continent. The move reflects broader efforts by Abu Dhabi to strengthen its position as a global financial hub while deepening economic and technological ties between the Gulf region and Africa.
The initiative is being led by the ADI Foundation, an organization supported by the digital arm of a major conglomerate valued at approximately $240 billion and chaired by the brother of the UAE president. The foundation has set an ambitious target of onboarding one billion people onto its proprietary blockchain, ADI Chain, by 2030. This goal centers on providing blockchain infrastructure to emerging markets, with Africa identified as a key region for adoption.
M-Pesa Partnership and Financial Inclusion Goals
M-Pesa, one of Africa’s most widely used mobile money platforms, plays a central role in the strategy. The service currently supports more than 60 million monthly users across eight African countries, offering basic financial services such as peer-to-peer transfers and merchant payments. A memorandum of understanding signed between the ADI Foundation and M-Pesa is intended to scale access to ADI Chain by leveraging M-Pesa’s established user base.
A member of the ADI Foundation’s advisory board explained that a significant share of the targeted users would be based in Africa. He noted that M-Pesa has already demonstrated its impact on financial inclusion and suggested that blockchain infrastructure could extend these benefits further. According to him, the foundation’s technology could provide core digital building blocks to support individuals and small businesses, accelerating broader digital transformation across underserved markets.
Strengthening Digital Infrastructure for Payments
M-Pesa was originally launched in Kenya in 2007 by telecom operator Safaricom and has since expanded to countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Tanzania. Leadership at M-Pesa Africa, a joint venture between Safaricom and Vodacom, has expressed optimism about the collaboration, highlighting the opportunity to apply emerging technologies to modernize financial services across the region.
The ADI Foundation was formally launched in December 2024. Earlier reporting indicated that ADI Chain forms part of a wider initiative covering international payments, digital identity, and energy trading, with Africa positioned as the initial focus. As part of this roadmap, the foundation expects to introduce a stablecoin on ADI Chain in January 2026. The objective is to enable companies operating from Abu Dhabi to settle cross-border payments efficiently wherever they conduct business, with the technology later deployed in other regions.
Regulation, Crypto Adoption, and Challenges
Abu Dhabi’s financial regulators have played an early role in shaping cryptocurrency oversight through the Abu Dhabi Global Market free zone. This regulatory clarity has attracted major industry players, including global crypto exchanges that have secured multiple licenses to operate in the emirate. Such regulatory initiatives have helped position Abu Dhabi as a favorable environment for digital asset innovation.
Across Africa, cryptocurrency usage has already gained traction as a hedge against currency volatility. Estimates from Nigeria’s securities regulator suggest that residents conducted crypto transactions worth $50 billion in the year ending June 2024. Stablecoins, in particular, have become popular due to their dollar-linked value. Blockchain analytics research has shown that stablecoins are frequently used in high-value transactions supporting trade flows between Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, especially in sectors such as energy and merchant payments.
However, challenges remain. A recent analysis by a US-based think tank highlighted persistent obstacles, including limited broadband access and gaps in financial education, particularly in rural areas. The report also noted fragmented regulatory approaches across African countries, with inconsistent crypto policies creating uncertainty for entrepreneurs and consumers. Despite these hurdles, the ADI Foundation and M-Pesa partnership signals a growing push to address financial inclusion through blockchain-driven infrastructure.
