The financial infrastructure company has launched Bitnob Enterprise, a non-custodial infrastructure platform designed to banks, fintechs, treasury teams and other institutions build digital asset products while maintaining control of their custody architecture, governance and risk-management systems.

The new platform allows organisations to access Bitnob’s wallet, payment, treasury, settlement, and blockchain infrastructure without transferring custody of assets to the company.

Bitnob launched publicly in 2021 as a consumer Bitcoin app. Over time, the infrastructure built to power its own products attracted growing interest from businesses, leading the company to increasingly focus on wallets-as-a-service, payments, stablecoin settlement, collections, payouts, and card infrastructure. Today, more than $4.5 billion has moved through its infrastructure.

As adoption grew, Bitnob saw customer needs split. Some wanted a managed platform that removed operational complexity and accelerated time to market. Others wanted to own the parts of the business that define them, such as custody, key management, risk, and governance. Bitnob Enterprise was built for the second group.

“The next generation of financial institutions won’t outsource the things that define them, including how assets are secured, how risk is managed, how their customers are served,” said Bernard Parah, Founder and CEO of Bitnob. “Enterprise gives them the infrastructure layer underneath Bitnob without asking them to give up control.”

Enterprise supports non-custodial deployment, including external key management through HSMs, AWS KMS, and third-party signing systems.

Customers run their own treasury controls, approval workflows, transaction policies, compliance and security frameworks while leveraging Bitnob for wallets, blockchain connectivity, treasury operations, stablecoin settlement, and embedded financial services.

The platform is built for banks, regulated financial institutions, fintechs, treasury teams, and developers building infrastructure-intensive financial products.

For organisations entering the market, Enterprise is a path to launch digital asset products without spending years building blockchain infrastructure internally. For larger institutions, it is a way to add digital asset capabilities to existing compliance and operational environments while keeping control of customer relationships and internal governance.

Alongside Enterprise, Bitnob is introducing major upgrades to Bitnob Business, its managed platform first launched in 2022. The updated platform adds enhanced stablecoin swap capabilities including USDT-to-USDC conversion, off-ramp coverage across more than 110 countries, and a growing base of on-ramp coverage.

Together, the two products offer two ways into the same infrastructure: a managed platform for businesses that prioritise simplicity and speed, and an infrastructure layer for organisations that prioritise ownership and control.

The launch comes as businesses increasingly adopt stablecoin infrastructure for treasury, cross-border payments, and supplier settlement, and as institutions look to participate without compromising their existing governance, security, and operational requirements.

Bitnob Business and Bitnob Enterprise are available free beginning today. For more information, visit website or schedule a call with the sales team

About Bitnob

Founded in 2020, Bitnob is a financial infrastructure company helping businesses build, move, and manage money globally.

Through APIs and managed infrastructure, Bitnob powers wallets-as-a-service, payments, treasury operations, stablecoin settlement, card programs, collections, payouts, and embedded financial services for businesses across global markets.

From 1 July 2025, the Kenya Electronic Payment and Settlement System (KEPSS) will run from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on business days, an increase from its previous window of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

KEPSS, which sits at the core of Kenya’s high-value payment ecosystem, is currently accessible only to banks and a few regulated institutions. By extending operational hours, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) is working towards making banks’ lives easier and preparing the ground for a larger transformation. 

The extension strengthens liquidity management, reduces settlement delays, and supports more efficient cash flow across government, corporate, and financial entities.

While the CBK has been quiet about the full scope of its roadmap, signs are emerging that Kenya is aligning itself with countries like India and Singapore, where RTGS systems operate round-the-clock and are open to non-bank entities. 

At present, fintechs and telecom companies in Kenya operate on the fringes of this infrastructure. They’re forced to rely on third-party integrations that increase costs and complexity, a reality that slows innovation and restricts competition.

That could change.

During the announcement, CBK Governor Dr. Kamau Thugge stated, “This change will reduce settlement risks, improve cash flow management, and enhance Kenya’s role as a regional financial hub.” 

That points to a vision in which Kenya’s financial core becomes more accessible, resilient, and regionally competitive.

Importantly, the move aligns with the objectives of the National Payments Strategy 2022–2025, which aims to modernise Kenya’s payment systems and ensure greater financial inclusion. 

One major step in that direction was taken in October 2024, when KEPSS migrated to the ISO 20022 messaging standard, a globally recognised protocol that supports richer financial data, faster processing, and better cross-border integration. 

With this upgrade, Kenya now shares a technical language with the likes of the European Central Bank and the Reserve Bank of India.

However, the long-term prize is real-time, round-the-clock digital settlement. Kenya isn’t there yet, but the signal shows it’s coming.

Allowing licensed non-bank financial service providers to plug directly into KEPSS would radically change the direction the playing field.

It would open up the infrastructure for cheaper and more flexible payment products, particularly in the customer-to-business (C2B) space where current options are overwhelmed by a handful of legacy providers.

When Musa needed a loan to expand his small electronics shop, he easily applied online and received the funds within hours. His access to financial services has allowed him to grow his business, support his family, and plan for the future.

In contrast, Amina lives in a rural village in northern Ghana. Her daily life is far more constrained.

When she sells her goods at the local market, her earnings are stored in cash, leaving her vulnerable to theft or loss. She has no formal safety net if her child gets sick or her crops fail.

Amina cannot save effectively or borrow to invest in her farm without access to a bank or mobile money services.

Her financial world is limited by geography and the lack of infrastructure that connects her to the wider economy.

These two lives, separated by a few hundred kilometers, illustrate Africa’s stark financial access divide. While city dwellers like Musa benefit from modern financial services, millions of rural Africans like Amina remain excluded from the formal financial system.

This gap in access is a barrier not only to individual prosperity but also to the overall economic development of the continent.

Globally, about 1.4 billion adults remain unbanked, with Africa home to a significant portion of this population.

Financial exclusion is even more pronounced in Africa, where over 60% of the adult population cannot access basic financial services such as savings, credit, or insurance.

The unbanked are often cut off from participating in the formal economy, unable to build wealth or fully engage in economic activities.

The exclusion stems from a lack of accessible financial infrastructure, insufficient literacy, and geographical barriers. For instance, in many rural parts of Africa, bank branches are scarce or non-existent, making it nearly impossible for individuals to open accounts, apply for loans, or even make basic transactions.

How Mobile Technology is Closing the Gap

In recent years, mobile technology has dramatically changed the financial landscape in Africa. Mobile money platforms like M-Pesa in Kenya and MTN Mobile Money in West Africa have made it possible for millions to transfer money, save, and even access loans and insurance services without needing a traditional bank account.

As of 2022, over 350 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were using mobile money services, representing more than 60% of the world’s mobile money transactions.

These platforms have effectively extended the reach of financial services to the previously unbanked, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

With mobile money, people can receive remittances from family members abroad, pay school fees, start small businesses, and gain access to basic health insurance.

This innovation has allowed for a more inclusive financial system, reducing barriers for those traditionally marginalized by banks.

However, while mobile players have made significant strides, the cost of infrastructure and regulatory limitations still pose challenges.

Despite the advances in mobile financial inclusion, the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure continues to leave millions excluded. In countries with vast rural populations and weak infrastructure, setting up physical banking services or even mobile money networks can be prohibitively expensive.

Network providers face high costs to extend their reach into remote areas where populations are sparse and incomes are low.

Without government subsidies or incentives, there is little business case for expanding financial services into these regions. Consequently, many are left reliant on informal financial systems, which are often insecure and inefficient.

Additionally, the digital divide exacerbates financial exclusion. Even though mobile technology is widely adopted, there is still a gap in smartphone ownership and internet access, further limiting access to more advanced financial services that require smartphones or mobile apps.

A Path Toward Broader Financial Inclusion

One potential solution to these challenges lies in white labeling. White labeling is when a product or service is created by one company but rebranded and distributed by another.

In the context of financial inclusion, white-label banking solutions can allow local trusted entities—such as cooperatives, community groups, or even telecom companies—to offer financial services without having to build the technology or infrastructure themselves.

Leveraging existing trust networks in local communities is far more effective than relying solely on large financial institutions or fintech companies to close the gap.

Instead of creating a few large companies that dominate the financial landscape, white-label services can be distributed more broadly, allowing smaller entities to reach deeper into rural areas and marginalized populations.

For example, community-based savings groups in rural areas could use a white-label mobile banking platform to offer their members savings accounts, loans, and insurance, tapping into a network that already has the trust and engagement of the local population.

This type of solution would drastically reduce the cost and complexity of providing financial services to the underserved.

Greater Access Benefits All

The economic benefits of financial inclusion are significant, both for individuals and for the economy as a whole.

For individuals, access to financial services enables savings, investment, and risk management. With the ability to save, people can build up capital over time, which they can then invest in starting businesses, buying property, or funding education.

Access to credit allows individuals and small businesses to smooth cash flow and seize growth opportunities, while insurance helps people manage risks and recover from financial shocks.

At a macroeconomic level, financial inclusion stimulates economic growth. By bringing more people into the formal economy, financial inclusion increases the flow of capital, boosts consumption, and creates jobs.

According to research by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), countries with higher levels of financial inclusion tend to have higher GDP growth rates.

A World Bank report noted that countries with broad financial inclusion enjoy lower poverty rates and less income inequality.

For Africa, where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute up to 90% of all businesses and more than 50% of employment, access to finance is essential for unlocking growth potential and driving economic development.

Furthermore, financial inclusion enhances financial stability by spreading financial risk across a broader section of the population and economy.

When more people and businesses are included in the formal financial system, the economy becomes more resilient to shocks like natural disasters or financial crises.

This is because formal financial institutions are better equipped to manage risk than informal lenders or unregulated markets.

Financial inclusion is not just a moral imperative; it’s an economic necessity. By ensuring that everyone, regardless of income or geography, has access to financial services, we can create wealth at the individual level and stimulate economic growth at the national level.

While mobile technology has made significant progress in closing the financial inclusion gap, there is still much work to be done.

High infrastructure costs and the digital divide continue to leave many excluded, but innovative solutions like white labeling offer a promising path forward.

By leveraging existing trust networks and local institutions, we can bring financial services to even the most remote corners of Africa and unlock the continent’s full economic potential.

Ultimately, greater financial inclusion will benefit not just individuals but also the broader economy, creating a virtuous cycle of growth, wealth creation, and prosperity.

*Ajibola Awojobi is the founder of BorderPal

The collaboration aims to tackle the unique financial challenges faced by technology companies.

Combining DMALINK’s renowned FX trading capabilities with Ibanera’s robust cross-border payment solutions, the joint offering is tailored to meet the needs of tech firms, providing them with a comprehensive financial toolkit to navigate the international market effectively.

“We are excited to partner with Ibanera to address the specific financial needs of high-growth technology companies,” said Manu Choudhary, CEO of DMALINK. 

“By integrating our FX expertise with Ibanera’s superior cross-border payment solutions, we aim to empower tech startups to thrive in the global market.”

Ibanera specializes in the financial and wealth management needs of technology businesses and entrepreneurs, offering a wide range of financial services across multiple continents.

Licensed in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Singapore, Ibanera provides a global platform for entrepreneurs to manage local banking services with international reach.

By leveraging Ibanera’s extensive cross-border payment network, DMALINK can now deliver cost-effective and efficient FX solutions to fast-growing tech companies for their international transactions.

Michael Carbonara, CEO of Ibanera, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “Our partnership with DMALINK focuses on delivering customized financial solutions that simplify payments and support our clients’ digital growth. By leveraging our combined offerings, we can equip tech startups with essential tools for seamless global expansion.”

DMALINK’s sophisticated FX trading platform perfectly complements Ibanera’s cross-border payment expertise.

This partnership creates a holistic solution for tech firms, facilitating smooth cross-border transactions and efficient FX trading, allowing them to concentrate on core business growth while navigating the global market.

This alliance goes beyond a combination of services, it is a shared focus on digital innovation and market disruption.

DMALINK’s state-of-the-art execution platform will be introduced to Ibanera’s clientele, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in electronic FX trading.

Additionally, DMALINK and Ibanera are collaboratively developing new products and services tailored to the evolving needs of tech firms. This shared vision includes the realm of digital assets, ensuring clients have access to cutting-edge solutions that keep pace with the dynamic financial landscape.

Together, the company aims to create more open, transparent, and accessible financial markets for all participants.