NALA Secures $50M Credit Facility as Stablecoin Payments Scale Across Africa

NALA has secured a credit facility of up to $50 million to scale its stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure.

The Tanzanian-founded fintech is using the facility to support faster cross-border payments, expand payment corridors, and handle rising demand from consumers and businesses across Africa, Europe, the United States, and Asia.

This is not a normal fundraising round where investors buy shares in the company. It is a credit facility. That means NALA is borrowing working capital to support transaction growth without immediately giving up more ownership.

That detail matters.

It shows that NALA is moving from startup growth into infrastructure growth. The company no longer only needs money to build products. It needs serious liquidity to move money across borders at scale.

For Africa’s stablecoin industry, this is a major signal. Stablecoins are not just being used for crypto trading. They are becoming payment rails for remittances, business transfers, and global money movement.

What Has NALA Announced?

NALA has secured up to $50 million in credit financing from Liquidity, an AI-driven private credit and technology provider. The facility is being provided through Mars Growth Capital, a joint venture between Liquidity and Japan’s MUFG Bank.

The arrangement starts with an initial $25 million facility, with the option to scale to at least $50 million as NALA’s transaction volumes grow.

The capital is expected to support customer account pre-funding, payment corridor expansion, product development, and operational scaling.

In simple terms, NALA is getting more firepower to keep payments moving quickly as more people and businesses use its infrastructure.

Why This Is Not Just Another Funding Story

Many fintech funding stories are about equity.

A company raises money, investors receive shares, and the startup uses the capital to hire, expand, and build products.

This NALA facility is different because it is debt financing. Reports describe it as non-dilutive capital, meaning NALA can access funds without reducing the ownership percentage of existing shareholders.

That is important because NALA already raised a large equity round in 2024. The company announced a $40 million Series A in July 2024 to support global expansion, improve payment reliability, and build its B2B payments platform, Rafiki.

The new credit facility suggests NALA is no longer only raising money to prove the business. It is raising working capital to support real payment volume.

That is a different stage of growth.

What Problem Is NALA Solving?

Cross-border payments are difficult because money does not move as simply as people imagine.

When someone sends money from the United States, the United Kingdom, or Europe to Africa, the payment company usually needs liquidity in the destination market. That liquidity allows the recipient to get paid quickly.

This is called pre-funding.

For example, if many users are sending money from the U.S. to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, or Ghana, the payment provider may need money ready in those markets before recipients can be paid instantly.

If transaction volumes grow too fast, the company can run into a liquidity problem. Not because the business is weak, but because fast payments require money to be available before settlement catches up.

That is where the credit facility comes in. NALA can use the capital to pre-fund transfers, support enterprise payments, and expand payment corridors without slowing down customer transactions.

Why Stablecoins Matter in This Story

NALA is not only building a traditional remittance app. It is building stablecoin-powered payment infrastructure.

Stablecoins are digital tokens designed to maintain a stable value, often linked to a major currency like the U.S. dollar. They can move across blockchain networks faster than many traditional banking systems and can support settlement across borders.

For a company like NALA, stablecoins can help reduce friction in global payments.

They can make settlement faster.
They can reduce dependency on slow correspondent banking rails.
They can help move value between regions more efficiently.
They can support businesses that need faster international payments.

This is why the phrase “stablecoin payments infrastructure” matters. NALA is not simply adding crypto as a feature. It is using stablecoin rails as part of the deeper financial plumbing behind money movement.

What Is Rafiki?

Rafiki is NALA’s B2B payments infrastructure platform.

NALA started mainly as a consumer remittance app, helping people send money to family and friends. But the company has expanded into business payments through Rafiki.

Rafiki is designed to help businesses move money across borders, connect to local payment systems, reduce payout failures, manage treasury better, and improve reliability.

TechCrunch previously reported that NALA built Rafiki because relying on third-party payment rails made it hard to guarantee dependability. By building its own direct integrations with banks and mobile money providers, NALA aimed to reduce payout problems and improve service quality.

That background helps explain why the new credit facility matters. If Rafiki is serving larger businesses, NALA needs deeper liquidity. Enterprise clients can move bigger volumes than individual consumers. That requires stronger pre-funding, better treasury management, and more reliable settlement.

How Big Is NALA’s Network?

NALA has grown from a remittance startup into a wider payments infrastructure company.

Recent reports say NALA connects to more than 249 banks and 26 mobile money services across 16 countries.

NALA’s own website says it serves more than 1 million people across more than 35 countries.

That reach is important because stablecoin payment infrastructure is only useful if users can enter and exit the system. In Africa, this often means connecting digital money to banks, mobile money wallets, and local payout networks.

Mobile money is especially important. Many African users do not depend only on bank accounts. They use mobile wallets for daily payments, savings, bills, and transfers. A payment company that connects stablecoin rails to mobile money can become more useful than one that only connects to crypto wallets.

Why Credit Facilities Matter in Payments

Credit facilities are common in mature financial services because payment companies need liquidity before money fully settles.

A remittance company may receive funds from a sender in one country but need to pay out almost instantly in another country. The timing gap creates a working capital need.

A credit facility helps fill that gap.

It allows the company to fund transfers, support customer balances, expand payment corridors, and serve larger clients without waiting for every settlement process to complete first.

This can improve reliability and speed. But it also means the company must manage risk carefully.

If payment volumes rise quickly, liquidity management becomes one of the most important parts of the business.

What This Says About Stablecoin Adoption

NALA’s credit facility shows that stablecoins are moving from theory to real infrastructure.

For years, people talked about stablecoins as a way to improve cross-border payments. Now companies are raising serious credit facilities to support stablecoin-powered payment volume.

That is a major shift.

It means the stablecoin story is no longer only about traders moving USDT or USDC between exchanges. It is about fintech companies using stablecoins to move real money for consumers and businesses.

This also fits into a wider trend. Global payment companies, remittance firms, fintech startups, and crypto infrastructure providers are all exploring stablecoins as a faster settlement layer.

NALA’s move is especially important because it connects that trend to Africa and emerging markets.

What Could Go Right

If NALA uses the facility well, several things could improve.

First, transfers could become more reliable. More pre-funded liquidity can reduce delays caused by liquidity shortages in destination markets.

Second, NALA could expand into more payment corridors. This would allow more users and businesses to move money across more countries.

Third, Rafiki could support larger enterprise clients. Businesses moving high volumes need stable liquidity and predictable settlement.

Fourth, stablecoin-powered payments could become more normal for African markets. Users may not even know stablecoins are working behind the scenes. They may simply experience faster and more reliable payments.

Fifth, NALA could strengthen Africa’s role in the global stablecoin payments conversation. Instead of Africa being treated only as a recipient market, African-founded companies can help shape the infrastructure.

What Could Go Wrong

The opportunity is big, but the risks are also real.

The first risk is regulation. Stablecoin and payment rules differ across countries. A company moving money across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. must comply with many regulators.

The second risk is liquidity management. Credit facilities help with pre-funding, but they must be managed carefully. Fast growth can create pressure if payment flows become one-sided.

The third risk is stablecoin risk. Users and businesses need confidence that the stablecoins used in the system are reliable, liquid, and properly backed.

The fourth risk is operational reliability. Payments must work when people need them most. Delays can damage trust quickly, especially in remittances where money is often sent for urgent needs.

The fifth risk is cost. Stablecoin infrastructure can reduce settlement friction, but users will only feel the benefit if fees and exchange rates remain competitive.

Why Regulators Will Watch Closely

NALA says it has invested deeply in regulation and infrastructure. Founder and CEO Benjamin Fernandes said the company has 17 regulatory approvals and licenses globally, describing NALA as one of the most licensed fintechs at its stage.

That is important because stablecoin payments cannot scale sustainably without compliance.

Regulators will want to know how customer funds are handled, how stablecoins are used, how anti-money laundering controls work, how risks are managed, and how users are protected.

For African markets, this is especially important. Stablecoins can improve payment access, but they can also raise concerns about capital flows, foreign currency demand, and monetary sovereignty.

The companies that win long term will likely be those that combine speed with compliance.

NALA’s Bigger Ambition

NALA’s bigger ambition appears to be building payment infrastructure for what it calls “the next billion.”

That phrase points to users in emerging markets who are often underserved by traditional financial systems. These users may live across borders, support families in other countries, work online, operate small businesses, or need reliable access to global money movement.

NALA’s consumer app serves individual users. Rafiki serves businesses. Stablecoins can help power settlement behind the scenes. The credit facility gives the company more working capital to scale.

Together, these pieces show a company trying to move beyond remittances into the broader financial infrastructure layer.

FAQ

What did NALA announce?

NALA announced a credit facility of up to $50 million to scale its stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure.

Who provided the facility?

The facility was provided by Liquidity through Mars Growth Capital, a joint venture between Liquidity and MUFG Bank.

Is this the same as equity funding?

No. This is debt financing, not an equity round. That means NALA can access working capital without immediately giving up more company ownership.

What will NALA use the money for?

NALA is expected to use the capital for pre-funding transfers, expanding payment corridors, supporting customer accounts, scaling operations, and growing its stablecoin-powered payments infrastructure.

What is Rafiki?

Rafiki is NALA’s B2B payments infrastructure platform. It helps businesses move money across borders through direct integrations with banks and mobile money services.

Why are stablecoins important for NALA?

Stablecoins can help make cross-border settlement faster and more efficient. They can reduce friction in international payments and support faster money movement across different regions.

Why does this matter for Africa?

Africa has strong demand for remittances, mobile money, business payments, and dollar-linked settlement. Stablecoin-powered infrastructure could help make these payments faster, cheaper, and more reliable.

What are the risks?

The main risks include regulation, liquidity management, stablecoin reliability, operational delays, fees, and user protection.