Esca Finance taps Tether-backed MANSA for same-day African payment settlements

Esca Finance, a Nigerian-founded foreign exchange (FX) sourcing and treasury management startup, has partnered with MANSA, a Tether-backed stablecoin settlement provider, to enable same-day settlements across key African payment corridors, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Francophone West and Central African markets.

The partnership combines Esca’s FX, banking, and local payout infrastructure with MANSA’s stablecoin-backed settlement rails, allowing payment companies and remittance providers to complete transactions faster without tying up capital across multiple markets.

Cross-border payment companies often have to pre-fund accounts in destination countries before processing transactions. That means keeping money parked across several markets in advance, tying up working capital, and making expansion more expensive. Esca said MANSA’s infrastructure provides liquidity when transactions are initiated, reducing the need for businesses to hold large balances in multiple countries.

The move underscores how FX infrastructure providers are using stablecoins to offer faster settlement to businesses seeking alternatives to conventional correspondent banking systems, which can be slow and costly in many African markets. Stablecoin-based settlement infrastructure has emerged as an option for cross-border money movement while improving access to dollar liquidity.

The partnership will enable Esca’s customers to move money across Nigerian, Ghanaian, XAF, and XOF corridors with same-day settlement, rather than waiting for funds to move through traditional banking networks. Esca said transactions routed through MANSA’s infrastructure are expected to account for 10%–20% of its monthly payment volume over the next 12 months.

“MANSA’s settlement-first USDT rails have strengthened our ability to deliver same-day settlements across key African corridors, helping Esca scale more efficiently with tier-one remittance players,” Shalom Osiadi, chief executive officer of Esca Finance, said. 

Founded in 2023, Esca Finance helps businesses manage foreign exchange exposure across emerging markets. The company says it processes between $75 million and $120 million in monthly transaction volume and serves customers ranging from remittance firms and fintechs to exporters and multinational businesses. It lists MoneyGram and Bridge, the Stripe-owned stablecoin infrastructure company, among clients.

The deal supports Esca’s broader expansion across the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The company said it is already live through partner rails in Burundi, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and plans to expand into additional markets, including Seychelles and Djibouti, in 2026.

“Esca has built deep capabilities in local execution and banking relationships across African markets, while MANSA provides the settlement liquidity layer,” Mouloukou Sanoh, chief executive officer and co-founder of MANSA, said. 

The partnership will initially focus on markets where both companies already operate, with plans to expand as Esca grows its African network and MANSA adds new settlement corridors.