Abu Dhabi-based blockchain institution ADI Foundation has disclosed plans to expand its blockchain infrastructure into Africa through a partnership with M-PESA, a leading pan-African mobile money platform.
The foundation is backed by the digital arm of International Holding Company (IHC), a $240 billion conglomerate and the largest publicly listed company in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The ADI Foundation has developed its blockchain infrastructure, ADI Chain, built on zkSync, and aims to onboard one billion people across emerging markets, including Africa and Asia, by 2030, providing these regions with broader access to financial services.
The organization has recently secured partnerships with global fintech and asset management firms, including Mastercard, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton, to advance tokenized assets and digital asset infrastructure.
Partnership with M-Pesa
As part of its efforts to provide access to its blockchain infrastructure in emerging markets such as Africa, the company has partnered with M-Pesa, a pan-African mobile money service with over 60 million monthly users.
In an interview with Semafor, Huy Nguyen Trieu, a council member on the ADI Foundation’s board of advisers, noted that a Memorandum of Understanding between the Foundation and M-Pesa was signed earlier in the month to accelerate the adoption of ADI Chain by Africans.
M-Pesa has been amazing in terms of financial inclusion. Our view is that we can push it further again by providing the right digital infrastructure, both for individuals and SMEs.
The Adi Foundation has previously announced plans to launch a blockchain and stablecoin project that will integrate the ADI chain into its operations, with the goal of supporting international payments and digital identity solutions.
In another discussion with Semafor, the foundation’s CEO, Andrey Larozenko, disclosed that the project’s initial focus would be Africa, adding that a major African payment provider would serve as its first partner.
Dirham-Pegged Stablecoin by Adi Foundation
The ADI Foundation is currently developing a dirham-pegged stablecoin, which it expects to serve as the financial backbone of ADI Chain.
Alex Gluchowski, co-founder of Matter Labs, the company behind zkSync, said the stablecoin could have an immediate impact on local transactions.
It will allow local businesses and consumers to digitally transact in a more efficient and transparent way.
Nguyen Trieu added that the stablecoin is expected to launch in 2026, enabling Abu Dhabi-based businesses to settle international payments in any jurisdiction that has deployed the technology.
Conclusion
ADI Foundation aims to expand access to financial services in the UAE and across emerging markets, including Africa.
While a significant portion of sub-Saharan Africa remains underbanked or excluded from participating in the global financial system, African innovators and founders have continued to build scalable payment platforms that onboard millions of users, creating extensive financial networks across the continent.
This makes Africa an attractive market for investors and infrastructure providers, particularly for those with a focus on payments and financial inclusion technologies.
With a pan-African presence spanning eight countries and a reputation for delivering financial services and solutions at the grassroots level, the M-Pesa partnership represents a strategic decision by ADI Foundation as it seeks to advance its blockchain adoption goals in the region.
