Stanbic Bank Ghana and Hong Kong-based digital -asset infrastructure provider RD Technologies are exploring a bank-led cross-border trade settlement solution supported by stablecoin technology.
The initiative initially targets business-to-business payments from Ghanaian importers to suppliers in Asia, subject to regulatory clearance.
Under the proposed model, Stanbic Bank Ghana would remain the customer-facing bank, handling customer onboarding, account opening, know-your-customer checks, transaction approvals and local-currency settlement, along with local compliance oversight.
RD Technologies would provide the payment technology, digital-asset infrastructure and access to its Asian settlement network to coordinate overseas payments.
Business customers would continue to access the services through the bank, with stablecoin technology supporting the underlying cross-border settlement.
According to the companies, enterprises operating in high-growth corridors between West Africa and Asia currently rely on legacy payment processing involving multiple intermediaries, which adds time, cost and complexity to settlement and payment tracking.
The companies aim to assess how digital-asset settlement infrastructure can complement existing banking services within the regulated banking system, making trade payments more efficient and transparent.
The initiative comes as African enterprises increasingly turn to stablecoins to get around foreign exchange shortages.
Sub-Saharan Africa received more than $205 billion in on-chain value between July 2024 and June 2025, up 52% year-on-year, according to Chainalysis, with Ghana among the region’s five largest markets.
“Reliable and efficient payments are essential for Ghanaian businesses engaged in international trade. Through this collaboration, we aim to assess how new technology can help customers settle legitimate trade payments with suppliers in Asia more smoothly,” said Darwin Mireku, head of strategy enablement at Stanbic Bank Ghana.
Rita Liu, CEO of RD Technologies, added: “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.”
The companies say the next phase will focus on regulatory engagement, technical validation and the design of a controlled pilot.
Subject to regulatory no-objection clearance, they will set up a dedicated project team to proceed with technical validation and operating-model design.
ITWeb Africa reported in July that foreign exchange shortages are accelerating stablecoin adoption across the continent, and in May that Ghana is among the markets moving from prohibition to structured licensing of virtual assets.
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