A groundbreaking whitepaper, Regulated Blockchain: Infrastructure for regulated DeFi: Foundation for a golden age in finance, authored by fintech visionary Obi Emetarom, presents a transformative framework that addresses these issues and paves the way for a Regulated Internet of Value—a blockchain-powered financial ecosystem that seamlessly integrates innovation with compliance.

Traditional finance (TradFi) remains encumbered by high costs, cumbersome processes, and regulatory complexity. According to the World Bank, global remittance fees averaged 6.2% in 2023, significantly above the 3% target set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making transactions expensive for millions worldwide. Meanwhile, crypto-based decentralized finance (DeFi) has struggled with trust, adoption, and oversight. In 2023 alone, crypto-related hacks and fraud accounted for over $1.8 billion in losses, according to Chainalysis, underscoring the need for a more secure and regulated approach.

The whitepaper argues that Regulated Blockchain Infrastructure is the missing link, providing a secure, efficient, and transparent foundation that combines the best of both worlds.

Regulated Blockchain is a new way of using blockchain technology to democratize financial services innovation while enforcing clear rules set by financial regulators and enabling real-time oversight.

It combines the security and speed of blockchain with the oversight needed to guarantee compliance, prevent fraud and ensure trust. Unlike cryptocurrencies that operate outside government control, Regulated Blockchain allows banks, fintech companies, and payment providers to use blockchain for faster, cheaper, and safer transactions— all with necessary compliance and regulatory oversight. This means people and businesses can spend, save and invest money more effectively, banks can deliver their offerings more efficiently, and regulators can prevent illegal activities, all while making financial services more accessible to everyone.

By embedding regulatory protocols directly into blockchain technology, financial institutions, fintech companies, and regulators can unlock frictionless financial services, automated compliance, and unprecedented levels of transparency.

“This whitepaper is a call to action for policymakers, financial institutions, and innovators,” said Obi Emetarom, the paper’s author and the CEO and co-founder of Zone. “The world cannot afford to operate on outdated financial models. Regulated Blockchain Infrastructure offers a clear path toward a future where financial services are secure, inclusive, and universally impactful. This is not just about improving efficiency—it’s about reshaping global finance to work for everyone, everywhere.”

The whitepaper outlines how Regulated Blockchain Infrastructure can accelerate economic growth, maximize financial inclusion, and improve regulatory efficiency.

For central banks and regulators, it provides a framework for seamless oversight and risk mitigation while supporting innovation.

For fintech firms, it presents a structured pathway for adopting blockchain technology without regulatory friction.

For investors and global financial institutions, it creates a transparent and secure environment that enhances capital allocation and investment opportunities.

At the same time, the rise of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), now being piloted in over 130 countries according to the Atlantic Council, signals growing institutional adoption of blockchain-based financial solutions.

The Regulated Blockchain builds on this momentum by integrating programmable compliance, self-custody of assets, and automated financial products to redefine how value is exchanged, stored, and managed globally.

Obi’s ultimate vision is for multiple Regulated Blockchains to interconnect and jointly function as a Regulated Internet of Value that will power the fully digital and automated economy of the future.

With the accelerating pace of technological change, the time to rethink the foundation of the global economy is now.

As policy makers, regulators, financial institution leaders, and technology innovators work together to shape the future of financial services, this Regulated Blockchain whitepaper provides a roadmap to a more efficient, inclusive and impactful financial ecosystem.

This integration with Zone’s regulated blockchain network for payment enables PalmPay to fortify its payment capabilities, ensuring reliable, secure, and compliant transactions across its extensive network of 1,200,000 agents and merchants.

By joining Zone’s regulated blockchain network, PalmPay is positioned to redefine the payment experience for its over 35 million users, delivering superior capabilities that set a new standard for point of sale payments and a new benchmark for the payment industry as a whole.

The partnership empowers PalmPay to streamline its operations, eliminate points of failure and provide its customers with the assurance of fast and frictionless payments.

Obi Emetarom, co-founder and CEO of Zone, remarked on the partnership:

“We are thrilled to welcome PalmPay to our payment network. Their hugely successful approach of becoming a market leader by delivering superior payment experiences aligns nicely with Zone’s focus on providing a reliable, and frictionless yet secure and compliant payment network. With our infrastructure, PalmPay is set to boost its value proposition to its customers and expand its lead in the market.”

With over 35 million users, PalmPay is committed to consistently enhancing the quality of its payment services.

By integrating with Zone’s regulated blockchain network, PalmPay automatically gains key advantages that set it apart in the industry.

These advantages include:

1. Direct Transaction Routing: Zone’s network eliminates the need for intermediaries, eliminating unnecessary points of failure and allowing for more reliable and secure transaction processing.

This ensures that PalmPay’s users experience uninterrupted transactions along with a seamless payment journey that meets the demands of a rapidly growing customer base.

2. End-to-End Transparency: Zone’s infrastructure offers full transaction visibility, supporting automatic reconciliation that effectively eliminates chargebacks and protects against chargeback fraud.

For PalmPay, this means a more secure and trustworthy system for its users, who can transact with greater confidence knowing that their payments are protected from potential disputes and fraud.

3. Same-Day Settlement: With Zone’s same-day settlement capabilities, PalmPay can deliver quicker value from successful transactions directly to its customers.

This expedited settlement process unlocks liquidity, as customers benefit from faster access to their funds, solidifying PalmPay’s reputation for efficiency and reliability.

In addition, PalmPay will remain fully compliant with regulatory guidelines for POS transaction processing. This compliance is enabled by the recent partnership between Zone and NIBSS to perform PTSA functions using blockchain technology and reinforced by CBN’s endorsement of the new arrangement —

With this foundation, PalmPay strengthens its commitment to reliable and frictionless payments while remaining fully compliant with all relevant regulations.

This move is a natural progression in PalmPay’s journey as it continues to solidify its leadership and prepare for an ambitious phase of growth.

By integrating with Zone’s network, PalmPay gains a powerful competitive edge, positioning itself at the forefront of the industry and setting the stage for the next wave of expansion.

Forward-thinking decisions like these have fueled PalmPay’s remarkable rise, and integrating with Zone further strengthens its commitment to staying ahead; leading the way in reliable, and compliant payments for millions across Africa.

“Our partnership with Zone marks an exciting step in our mission to deliver exceptional financial solutions. By leveraging Zone’s blockchain-powered infrastructure, we’re reinforcing the reliability and speed of our transactions success rate of 99.5%, allowing us to better serve our customers and set a new standard in digital finance.”

This collaboration, Techeconomy can report, aims to enhance interoperability across the POS payment value chain by leveraging cutting-edge blockchain technology.

To address the challenges of transparency and provide more efficient payment processes in Nigeria Payment System, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has established the Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA) license category.

This regulation mandates that all licensed financial service providers must connect and route their POS transactions through a PTSA. The goal is to improve the payment experience for individuals and merchants, streamline reconciliation processes and ultimately reduce financial losses and cost of operations for Banks and other financial institutions.

The partnership between NIBSS and Zone is set to enhance the POS payment rail by utilizing blockchain technology to facilitate transaction processing between banks and other financial service providers.

It will significantly enhance the reliability and security of transactions, ensuring efficient and secure processing.

With the introduction of decentralized card routing, Banks and fintechs will be able to perform card routing between POS terminals and cardholder banks while remaining fully compliant with both payment switching and PTSA regulations as defined by the Central Bank.

A critical feature of this partnership is the automated resolution of chargebacks, allowing refunds for declined transactions to be processed within minutes, eliminating the need for manual intervention and reducing the inconvenience of frequent bank visits for customers.

Additionally, it will validate final transaction status in real-time, thereby enhancing liquidity and improving overall business operations.

This timely access to funds is a game-changer for merchants.

As Nigeria transitions further to a more digital society, this will significantly improve the overall card-holder experience through enhanced service reliability, faster response time and reduced transaction processing cost, all of which are crucial in supporting the expected scale of transactions.

Agent networks will also benefit from the opportunity to generate more revenue thereby incentivizing the expansion of financial services.

Speaking on the outcome of the directives by Mr. Premier Oiwoh, the CBN, the managing director and CEO of NIBSS, stated,

“These partnerships and collaborations with key industry players represent a significant milestone in our mission to drive innovation and enhance the efficiency of the payment system. The strategic alliances will revolutionize the ecosystem, offering improved operational efficiency, cost savings and enhanced financial inclusion, ultimately positioning Nigeria at the forefront of the global payment space”.

On his part, Obi Emetarom, CEO and Co-founder of Zone, added,

“This partnership with NIBSS reflects our unwavering commitment to transform the payment landscape in Nigeria. By harnessing the power of blockchain technology, we are setting a new standard for reliable, frictionless, and universally interoperable payments in the industry.”

This announcement follows Zone’s recent $8.5 million seed funding round led by Flourish Ventures and TLcom Capital, and the launch of its decentralised PoS Payment Gateway, ZonePOS. 

These milestones represent major advancements towards the company’s mission of connecting every monetary store of value by harnessing the power of blockchain.

Zone secured a switching and processing license from the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2022, making its payment infrastructure Africa’s first regulated blockchain network for payments. 

By integrating with Zone’s regulated blockchain network, UBA, Zenith Bank, and First Bank along with other financial service providers already on the network, will significantly enhance their payment processing capabilities. 

These banks will benefit from being able to route transactions directly between participants on the network, which eliminates intermediaries and reduces failure points, resulting in faster, more reliable, and more scalable transaction processing at lower costs. 

With its unique architecture and underlying technology, Zone’s blockchain-powered payment infrastructure is expected to serve as a major catalyst in the transformation of Nigeria’s payment industry and the actualisation of the highly anticipated cashless society. 

With leading banks like Zenith Bank, First Bank, and UBA already integrated and processing transactions on its network, the industry stands to gain more than just improved transaction reliability. 

This is because connecting financial service providers directly with each other also delivers payment experiences with significantly less friction and allows payment service providers function with little to no operational risks. 

Specifically, Zone’s network provides end-to-end transparency and automatic reconciliation, which eliminates chargebacks, prevents chargeback fraud, and delivers same-day settlement to financial institutions and their customers. 

Commenting on the announcement, Obi Emetarom, CEO and co-founder of Zone, said: “We are thrilled to have UBA, Zenith Bank, and First Bank in our network. Their integration into our decentralised payment network is a significant milestone in our journey to advance the payment landscape in Nigeria and the rest of the world. 

“Having some of Africa’s largest and most reputable financial institutions underscores the growing trust in our technology and its ability to deliver on our promise of reliable, frictionless and universally interoperable payment experiences.

“As we continue to expand and enhance our payment network, we remain committed to connecting every monetary store of value and enabling a truly inclusive financial ecosystem operating without cash.”