Stanbic Bank Ghana and RD Technologies Partner for Stablecoin Trade Settlements
The initiative targets Ghanaian importers paying suppliers across Asian markets.
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TL;DR
- Stanbic Bank Ghana has teamed up with Hong Kong-based RD Technologies to test stablecoin-powered B2B trade settlements.
- The initiative targets Ghanaian importers paying suppliers across Asian markets.
- It is exploratory and subject to regulatory no-objection. The stablecoin, pilot size, timeline, and regulator are undisclosed.
Stanbic Bank Ghana, a tier-one financial institution, has announced a strategic collaboration with Hong Kong-based digital-asset infrastructure provider RD Technologies on October 20 to explore bank-led, stablecoin-powered cross-border trade settlements.
If successful, it could create a smooth, compliant bridge for Ghanaian importers to pay suppliers across Asian markets.
What Stanbic and RD Technologies Are Building
The first use case is business-to-business payments from Ghanaian importers to Asian suppliers. Rather than bypassing the regulated financial system, the proposed model introduces a “dual-rail” structure that combines domestic banking compliance with blockchain speed.
Under this framework, Stanbic Bank Ghana acts as the customer-facing entity. Stanbic would continue handling account opening, know-your-customer (KYC) checks, transaction approvals, local-currency settlement, and local compliance.
RD Technologies would supply payment technology, digital-asset infrastructure and access to its Asian settlement network. Stablecoins would sit underneath, while business customers keep using the bank.
“Reliable and efficient payments are essential for Ghanaian businesses engaged in international trade,” said Darwin Mireku, Head of Strategy Enablement at Stanbic Bank Ghana.
“Through this collaboration, we aim to assess how new technology can help customers settle legitimate trade payments with suppliers in Asia more smoothly. Customer needs, compliance and risk management will guide the design and testing of the proposed solution as we engage with the relevant regulators and work towards a controlled pilot.”
Subject to regulatory “no-objection” clearance from stakeholders, the partners intend to establish a dedicated project team to conduct technical validation and design a controlled pilot program.
Solving the Africa-Asia Trade Bottleneck
For African businesses, cross-border transactions are anything but frictionless. Payments often pass through multiple intermediaries, adding time, cost, and complexity. Traditional correspondent banking networks like SWIFT often require days to clear payments across multiple time zones, tying up working capital.
Africa is the most expensive region in the world to send money to. As of early 2025, the average cost to send $200 to Africa is 8.2%, well above the UN SDG goal of 3%.
Traditional channels can take 3 to 5 days to clear and cost anywhere from 7 to 20% of the transaction value. This cost comes from FX spreads of 3% and 8% charged by banks and intermediaries, plus correspondent banking fees of USD 15–50 per transaction at each intermediary.
The total cost on the continent’s commerce is large. It is estimated that cheaper cross-border payments could lead to improved trade and could generate USD 292 billion in income gains for Africa.
The trade at stake is large. China-Africa trade hit a record $348 billion in 2025, up almost 18%. Ghana-China trade reached $14.1 billion in 2025. China supplied 22.7% of Ghana’s imports; Ghana’s exports to China accounted for 4.9% of total exports for the year.
Rita Liu, CEO of RD Technologies, emphasised the need for strategic alignment. “This collaboration brings together Stanbic Bank Ghana’s domestic banking capabilities and RD Technologies’ digital-asset infrastructure and connectivity with Asian markets. Our shared objective is to explore a secure, compliant and more efficient way for Ghanaian businesses to settle legitimate trade payments with suppliers in Asia.”
Stablecoins Are Already Moving Trade Money
Chainalysis’s 2026 adoption index found that cross-border stablecoin transfers jumped 77.5% to $220.3 billion up to June 2026. The average payment was about $3,000, a figure the firm estimates to be closer to a supplier invoice or a remittance.
Tether economist Philip Gradwell told Chainalysis the steady pattern is “the signature of trade and business activity.”
Africa is central to that story. Nigeria ranks third overall in the adoption index and first in cross-border flows. South Africa ranked ninth overall and third in cross-border flows. Chainalysis data indicates that Sub-Saharan Africa received over $205 billion in on-chain value between July 2024 and June 2025. Ghana was among the region’s top five crypto markets.
Banks and fintechs are building on this. Access Bank South Africa and Stables are exploring stablecoin payments for business transfers. Lagos-based Daya added Tempo’s blockchain as a settlement rail for African businesses.
LemFi secured major institutional backing from stablecoin giant Tether to displace legacy messaging systems with instant digital-dollar rails across Africa-Asia corridors.
What to Watch Next
The success of the Stanbic-RD Technologies initiative hinges on regulatory collaboration. As African central banks move from outright prohibitions toward structured virtual asset licensing frameworks, bank-led pilots offer a vital blueprint for safe integration.
If the proposed pilot secures regulatory approval and proves successful, it could redefine how West African enterprises interact with global supply chains.
For Stanbic Bank Ghana, this initiative also draws strength from Standard Bank Group’s extensive international network, including its strategic partnership with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). By pairing traditional trade connectivity with blockchain-based settlement rails, the bank is positioning itself at the forefront of digital trade finance.
