XRP news today: Onafriq Partners With Circle, Ripple Eyes Acquisition
1min read Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, has announced a partnership with Circle, the issuer of the USDC stablecoin. This development has sparked significant interest, particularly because Ripple, which already has a partnership with Onafriq, is reportedly pursuing an acquisition of Circle. This sequence of events has led to speculation about the strategic implications of these alignments.
Onafriq’s new alliance with Circle is a significant step towards expanding blockchain-powered financial inclusion across Africa. The partnership aims to accelerate cross-border transaction capabilities, lower remittance costs, and enhance financial connectivity between African markets and the global economy. Circle’s USDC stablecoin is increasingly being integrated into global payment systems, making this collaboration particularly impactful in regions with limited access to traditional banking infrastructure and high currency volatility.
Ripple’s relationship with Onafriq began in late 2023 when the two firms partnered to enable cross-border payments between Africa and other markets using Ripple’s blockchain-powered liquidity services. This collaboration positioned Onafriq as a critical hub in Ripple’s global payments ecosystem, addressing the historically underserved African payments corridor. Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) product, which leverages XRP as a bridge currency, has been instrumental in this partnership, enabling efficient value transfer. Onafriq’s access to 400 million mobile wallets and over 130 banks across 40 African countries has further strengthened this synergy.
Adding to the complexity, Ripple is reportedly considering acquiring Circle. While the exact valuation of this potential acquisition is not confirmed, it is speculated to be around $5 billion, aligning with Circle’s current IPO valuation. This move would give Ripple a significant role in the global stablecoin infrastructure, complementing its XRP-based liquidity offerings with dollar-backed stablecoin settlement rails. Circle’s control over a major share of the regulated stablecoin market via USDC makes this acquisition strategically valuable for Ripple.
The overlapping partnerships—Onafriq with Ripple, Onafriq with Circle, and Ripple’s potential interest in Circle—have raised questions about a larger strategic blueprint. The convergence of these entities suggests a purposeful alignment rather than mere coincidence. This triad of partnerships could be laying the groundwork for a seamless, inclusive, and interoperable global payments infrastructure, bridging developed markets and emerging economies.
This dynamic could be particularly transformative for cross-border payments in Africa, a region often overlooked in traditional finance but increasingly at the forefront of fintech innovation. As the industry watches these developments unfold, the focus will be on whether Ripple’s acquisition bid for Circle materializes and how the Ripple-Circle-Onafriq dynamic shapes the future of blockchain-based finance.
