VALR Launches Mobile Money Crypto Payments Across Africa: No Bank Account Needed!

by

VALR Expands Access With Mobile Money Crypto Payments in Africa

Key Highlights

  • VALR partnered with Onafriq to let users deposit money and buy crypto using mobile money in local currencies.
  • Users can fund accounts and purchase crypto quickly, with funds converted into stablecoins before use.
  • The integration allows Africans to access VALR’s crypto services without needing a traditional bank account.

South African crypto exchange VALR has partnered with payment gateway Onafriq to introduce a new mobile money payment system.

This new program will let people throughout Africa easily add money and purchase cryptocurrencies with their local currency. It’s designed to make digital financial services more available to everyone, even those without a bank account.

— VALR (@VALRdotcom) April 9, 2026

Built for deposits and crypto purchases

VALR now allows customers in several countries to easily add money to their accounts using popular mobile payment services. Users can deposit funds in their local currency – including Kenyan Shillings, Ugandan Shillings, Zambian Kwacha, Central African CFA francs, and Congolese Francs – which will then be automatically converted into stablecoins like USDC or USDT.

To make a deposit, users simply need to log in to their VALR account, select their currency, and choose “Mobile Money” as the payment option.

I’m excited to hear Onafriq will be integrated into the platform – that’s a big step! From what I understand, once it’s live, we’ll need to verify our mobile number and then confirm each transaction with a code sent to our phones. It sounds a lot like how I already buy crypto, which is good – familiar and secure.

After approval, funds appear in a user’s account almost instantly, typically within a few seconds to minutes. VALR notes that each payment is limited to $300, and the countries and currencies supported may be updated in the future. The process works by first converting the user’s local currency into USDC, and then exchanging that into the cryptocurrency they’ve chosen.

Integrating Onafriq to widen VALR ecosystem 

VALR is expanding its reach across Africa by partnering with Onafriq. This connection gives VALR access to Onafriq’s network, which links mobile money services in over 40 African countries, and allows VALR to connect with a large number of users and established payment systems.

This connection lets you use VALR to trade over 100 cryptocurrencies, even without a traditional bank account. It also makes it easier to participate in the global digital economy by letting you use payment methods you already know and trust.

Onafriq is thrilled to partner with VALR, allowing their customers throughout Africa to easily make transactions with the one billion mobile wallet users and hundreds of thousands of businesses already connected to the Onafriq network, according to Onafriq’s CEO and Founder, Dare Okoudjou.

Broader context

Mobile money is a popular way to manage finances in Africa, particularly where traditional banks are scarce. It lets people easily send, receive, and save money using their mobile phones.

VALR reports that in 2024, there are over 2.1 billion mobile money accounts globally, processing more than 108 billion transactions totaling around $1.68 trillion. The company also found that mobile money added approximately $190 billion to the economy of Sub-Saharan Africa in 2023.

VALR’s Co-Founder and CEO, Farzam Ehsani, explains that mobile money has significantly improved financial inclusion in Africa. VALR connects people directly using their local currencies, giving millions access to things like Bitcoin, stablecoins, and digital gold, while also providing new financial tools to help boost economic opportunity.

This announcement follows the recent launch of BITGOLD, a product in Africa that combines Bitcoin and tokenized gold for easy investment.

Read More

2026-04-09 18:45