Take the Unchained 2025 survey! unchainedcrypto.com/survey
-------
Cross-border payments. Mobile money. Stablecoins. Crypto.
Elizabeth Rossiello has lived through every cycle, not from a trading desk, but the front lines of African markets.
Now, the founder of AZA Finance is selling her company to global fintech giant dLocal, a signal that the line between crypto and traditional finance is blurring fast.
In this episode, she talks about:
- How stablecoins are powering 24/7 commerce in emerging markets
- Why new entrants keep failing to gain traction
- And how liquidity, not tech, will determine who wins this new game
All that, plus the inside story of AZA’s journey from a Nairobi-based Bitcoin exchange to one of the most important fintech players in Africa.
Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com
Links
- American Banker: What experienced payment execs can pass to a new generation
- The Startup Leap: Building A Remittance App for Africa’s $1tr Market | Elizabeth Rossiello | Aza Finance
- Jack Zhang of Airwallex tweet saying he doesn’t see “a single use case” for crypto
Timestamps:
- 🎬0:00 Intro
- 🌍 3:30 What Africa’s early payments scene looked like and how Elizabeth launched the first Bitcoin exchange there
- 📲 10:54 How the continent’s payment rails evolved
- 🔥 16:15 How Western Union dropped its pricing after her company launched
- 💸 20:42 Why stablecoins became a game-changer for cross-border payments
- 📊 25:24 What the real volume drivers are
- 🌐 28:53 How crypto adoption in Africa shifted post-COVID
- 🤝 37:00 Why AZA decided to acquire two companies
- ⚠️ 38:46 How the FTX partnership hurt AZA
- 💼 41:37 How the dLocal deal came together behind the scenes
- 🔄 45:08 Why crypto and fintech are on a fast path to convergence
- 🏁 50:58 Which players Elizabeth thinks will win in the new payments race
- 📵 53:47 Why “mobile money” is still tough competition for crypto
- 💥 56:48 How USDT has an edge in emerging markets
- 🇨🇳 58:50 How China’s deep ties to Africa have shaped the game
- 🚀 1:01:37 What it’s been like to build AZA as a young woman founder in crypto
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices