Anzens, the issuer of USDA stablecoin on the Cardano blockchain, announced today the successful completion of the first live retail transaction using USDA at Java House, a popular cafe chain in Nairobi, Kenya. The transaction, completed on February 13, 2026, marks a significant milestone in bringing stablecoin-powered payments to everyday commerce in emerging markets.
Currently in its pilot phase, Anzens team member Shantnoo Saxena converted USDA to Kenyan Shillings at a live exchange rate and completed payment of 1,440 KES directly to the merchant’s M-Pesa mobile money wallet. The transaction settled in seconds with fees under 1%.
By comparison, international credit card transactions at the same location would typically incur up to 14% in combined fees including foreign exchange markups, cross-border surcharges, and processing charges, with merchant settlement times of up to five business days.
“We built this infrastructure specifically to integrate with the mobile money networks people already use every day,” said Shantnoo. “Kenya’s M-Pesa ecosystem serves over 50 million active users. Rather than asking merchants or consumers to adopt new platforms, we connected directly into existing rails.”
Wallet Capabilities
The Wallet pilot currently supports:
- Instant conversion from USDA to local fiat currencies
- Direct withdrawal to mobile money wallets including M-Pesa
- Fiat-to-fiat transfers across African markets
- Support for seven fiat currencies
- The wallet integrates Anzens’ zero-custody architecture, where each user receives an individual BitGo Trust account, ensuring full asset segregation and regulatory compliance.
Market Context
Africa’s mobile money market processed over $800 billion in transactions in 2023, according to the GSMA. Cross-border payment costs remain among the highest globally, with the World Bank reporting average remittance fees to Sub-Saharan Africa of approximately 7.9%. Stablecoin infrastructure offers a viable path to reducing these costs while maintaining settlement speed.
Anzens’ USDA infrastructure currently supports direct fiat off-ramping to over 50 countries and integrates with more than 40 e-wallets across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Next Steps
The upcoming wallet is entering final testing stages with a public launch expected in the coming months. Anzens plans to expand merchant-facing capabilities and deepen mobile money integrations across additional African markets.
About Anzens
Anzens is a blockchain payments company that issues USDA, a stablecoin on the Cardano blockchain. The company provides end-to-end stablecoin infrastructure including minting, burning, custody through BitGo Trust, and direct fiat off-ramping to 50+ countries. Anzens’ sister company, Encryptus Global, provides B2B payment infrastructure, crypto-to-fiat off-ramps, and OTC services across 80+ countries.
For more information, visit anzens.com.