Kotani Pay

Kotani Pay is Africa's premier on-ramp and off-ramp infrastructure platform for digital assets, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. The company connects Web3 users and blockchain-based businesses to local payment channels across Africa, enabling seamless conversion between cryptocurrencies/stablecoins and local fiat currencies. Kotani Pay is registered as a licensed Financial Service Provider (FSP) by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa (license number 53594) and holds a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) licence — the first on-ramp/off-ramp blockchain fintech to do so in South Africa. The company has received investment from Tether and has been recognized by organizations including UNICEF, Gitcoin, IBM, Stellar, and the US Department of Commerce.

Core Products/Services

Kotani Pay offers four core products tailored for businesses operating in the Web3 and digital asset space across Africa:

• Stablecoin Settlement Solutions: Providing businesses with stablecoin and fiat liquidity, supporting USDC, USDT, cUSD, USDGLO, and DAI with deep liquidity pools, fast settlement (under 1 minute), and transaction costs 4x cheaper than traditional payment systems.
• Blockchain-Powered APIs: A white-label, enterprise-grade API that connects DApp wallets and blockchain networks to local African payment channels. Supports 15+ blockchain networks including Polygon, Celo, Optimism, Stellar, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Cardano, Lisk, Viction, and the Lightning Network.
• SMS-based Blockchain Wallet: Enables full blockchain functionality without requiring an internet connection. Users can send, receive, and transact with a non-custodial wallet via SMS, protected by a 4-digit PIN, and receive instant SMS notifications on withdrawals.
• On-Ramp/Off-Ramp: A reliable bidirectional conversion service allowing businesses and users to easily convert between cryptocurrencies and local African fiat currencies, supporting mobile money (M-Pesa and others), STK Push payments, and cash in/cash out capabilities.

Key Strengths

Kotani Pay's technology infrastructure supports 15+ blockchain networks and multiple African currencies including KES (Kenyan Shilling), GHC (Ghanaian Cedi), XAF (Central African Franc), and USD-pegged stablecoins. The platform's compliance framework includes KYC/KYB/AML checks, sanctions list screening against OFAC, UN Security Council, and other lists, Know Your Transaction (KYT) monitoring, and SOC 2 / PCI / DSS adherence. The company serves businesses across the DeFi, gig economy, remittance, ReFi, and Universal Basic Income (UBI) sectors.

Notable Clients/Projects

Kotani Pay serves top-tier businesses in the blockchain and digital asset space. Notable use cases include partnerships supporting gig workers in Kenya (with Celo and Mercy Corps Ventures), UBI payments to refugees in Africa (with Impact Market), ReFi farmer payments (with Treejer), and cross-border remittance for communities across East and West Africa. Clients include blockchain wallets, exchanges, DeFi platforms, and social impact organizations.

Why Choose Kotani Pay

Kotani Pay is the only licensed CASP on-ramp/off-ramp in South Africa and a leading regulated provider in East Africa. With a single API integration, businesses gain access to multiple African payment channels, stablecoin liquidity, and a compliance-ready infrastructure. The platform dramatically reduces transaction costs, settlement times, and the technical barriers to reaching Africa's unbanked and underbanked populations through its unique SMS-based wallet solution that requires no internet access.