Payments infrastructure company Flutterwave has announced a strategic investment from Ripple, a provider of blockchain-based enterprise solutions for traditional and digital finance, as part of the definitive next phase of its long-term stablecoin strategy.
According to Flutterwave, the undisclosed funding amount is part of its Series E fundraising round, which values the company at $3.2 billion.
The investment will support the integration of Ripple’s USD-denominated stablecoin, RLUSD, as well as Ripple Payments and the XRP Ledger, into Flutterwave’s payment infrastructure. This is expected to accelerate faster, lower-cost, and more efficient stablecoin-enabled cross-border payments across Africa.
Lagos-headquartered Flutterwave believes by anchoring this infrastructure in the continent, it is empowering African businesses to bypass legacy frictions. Ultimately, this bolsters Nigeria’s role as the primary hub for global digital asset trade and drives sustained economic resilience across the region, noted the parties.
Additionally, the partnership centres on a robust product integration designed to accelerate the adoption of digital asset infrastructure. The companies assert that this brings speed, liquidity, and cost-efficiency to cross-border commerce throughout Africa.
"Flutterwave has built one of the most advanced payments networks in Africa, and as its infrastructure evolves, stablecoins are becoming central to that story," said Reece Merrick, MD, MEA at Ripple.
Olugbenga Agboola, founder and CEO of Flutterwave, added, "Our investment will establish RLUSD within that infrastructure, with Flutterwave driving stablecoin flows over the XRPL and deepening its role as a settlement layer for real-world payments across the continent. Together, we also plan to bring Ripple Payments' speed and efficiency to cross-border transactions in the region, opening up faster, lower-cost financial services to businesses and consumers at scale. This investment marks a pivotal moment in our journey, enabling us to significantly scale our infrastructure and expand our stablecoin-enabled payments roadmap.”
Agboola continued: “By unlocking faster settlement and lower-cost cross-border payments, we are building a payment superhighway that connects African commerce directly to the global economy. This partnership is a catalyst for Nigerian and African sovereignty in the digital financial age, ensuring our markets are primary participants in the global digital asset revolution.”
Share
