Stanbic Bank Ghana and Hong Kong-based RD Technologies are exploring a bank-led cross-border payment solution that uses stablecoin technology to support trade settlement between Ghanaian businesses and suppliers in Asia. The initiative is designed to assess how stablecoin trade settlement can complement traditional banking infrastructure while operating within a regulated banking framework.
The proposed model focuses initially on business-to-business (B2B) payments from Ghanaian importers to Asian suppliers, subject to regulatory approval. Under the arrangement, Stanbic Bank Ghana would remain the primary customer-facing institution, while RD Technologies would provide the underlying digital-asset infrastructure and settlement connectivity.
Stablecoin Trade Settlement Within a Regulated Banking Model
According to the companies, the proposed solution is structured to keep banking services and compliance processes within the regulated banking sector. Under the model, Stanbic Bank Ghana would manage customer onboarding, account opening, know-your-customer (KYC) requirements, transaction approvals, local-currency settlement, and compliance oversight.
RD Technologies would provide the payment technology, digital-asset infrastructure, and access to its Asian settlement network to facilitate overseas transactions. Business customers would continue to interact with the bank as usual, while stablecoin technology would support the underlying cross-border settlement process.
Darwin Mireku, Head of Strategy Enablement at Stanbic Bank Ghana, said the collaboration seeks to evaluate how emerging technologies can help Ghanaian businesses settle legitimate trade payments with suppliers in Asia more smoothly and efficiently.
Growing Demand for More Efficient Cross-Border Payments
The companies noted that businesses operating between West Africa and Asia often rely on payment processes involving multiple intermediaries. This can increase settlement times, costs, and operational complexity while making payment tracking more difficult. The project aims to determine whether digital-asset settlement infrastructure can improve efficiency and transparency while working alongside existing banking services.
The initiative comes at a time when stablecoin usage is increasing across Africa. According to data cited from Chainalysis, Sub-Saharan Africa received more than $205 billion in on-chain value between July 2024 and June 2025, representing 52% year-on-year growth. Ghana was identified as one of the region’s five largest markets during that period.
Rita Liu, CEO of RD Technologies, stated that the collaboration combines Stanbic Bank Ghana’s domestic banking capabilities with RD Technologies’ digital-asset infrastructure and connectivity to Asian markets, with the goal of exploring a secure, compliant, and more efficient settlement approach for cross-border trade payments.
The exploration of stablecoin trade settlement by Stanbic Bank Ghana and RD Technologies represents an effort to improve the efficiency and transparency of cross-border trade payments between Ghana and Asia. The next phase will focus on regulatory engagement, technical validation, and the development of a controlled pilot. Subject to regulatory no-objection clearance, the companies plan to establish a dedicated project team to advance technical validation and operating-model design.