Yellow Card, Coinbase to Expand Access to Crypto, Digital Assets in Africa

By Adedapo Adesanya

Yellow Card and Coinbase have partnered to expand and simplify access to US Dollar Coin (USDC) and digital assets in Africa.

Already, Coinbase has integrated the new Yellow Card Widget, giving Coinbase Wallet customers access to Yellow Card’s extensive network of payment methods across 20 African countries in a partnership that will transform the accessibility and convenience of digital assets throughout Africa.

Coinbase Wallet users will be able to easily send USDC without fees on any platform where they can share a link — including messaging apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Telegram, and through popular social media apps and email.

Additionally, as part of this groundbreaking partnership, Yellow Card customers will be able to transfer and receive USD Coin (USDC), the second-largest stablecoin by market cap, using Coinbase’s Base chain. This Layer 2 (L2) solution offers faster transaction speeds and cheaper fees compared to the ERC-20 network.

The Yellow Card Widget enhances Yellow Card’s existing Payments Application Programming Interface (API), which already helps businesses provide their African customers with local currency transaction options.

With the addition of the Widget, businesses—such as Coinbase—can now offer a better experience for customers dealing with digital assets.

With the integration of the Yellow Card Widget, Coinbase Wallet customers in Africa will benefit from convenient and affordable payment methods, providing a secure environment for buying and selling virtual assets, enhancing trust and confidence among customers, and an improved and streamlined experience, making digital asset transactions more user-friendly and efficient.

The Know Your Customer (KYC) process will be expedited by Yellow Card’s expertise in onboarding customers across Africa, providing a swift and hassle-free onboarding experience for everyone and Coinbase customers in Africa will enjoy the benefit of minimal transaction fees and favourable exchange rates when converting from their local currency into USDC and vice versa.

Speaking on the partnership, Mr Chris Maurice, co-founder and CEO of Yellow Card, expressed excitement about the partnership, stating, “We are thrilled to partner with Coinbase to bring the transformative power of Stablecoins to more people across Africa.

“Together, by combining Yellow Card’s regional expertise with Coinbase’s global brand and infrastructure, we will empower the next one billion people across Africa to participate in the future of finance.”