The demand for seamless cross-border transactions is higher than ever, with the total value of cross-border payments projected to reach $290.2 trillion annually by 2030. However, inefficiencies in the current financial system continue to cost businesses billions. Remittance fees alone average 6.5% of the amount sent, disproportionately affecting developing economies.
By offering a scalable and reliable liquidity solution, MANSA aims to bridge the gap, making global payments more efficient and inclusive. As the fintech industry continues to evolve, its innovative approach positions it as a key player in the future of cross-border financial services.
Funding to drive expansion
MANSA just raised $10 million in pre-seed funding led by Tether and co-led by Polymorphic Capital, with participation from Octerra Capital, Faculty Group, and Trive Digital. An additional $7 million in liquidity funding came from institutional investors, including corporate investors, quantitative funds, and alternative investment firms.
With its fresh capital infusion, MANSA is set to expand into Latin America and Southeast Asia, two regions that frequently experience liquidity constraints in cross-border payments. These markets represent a significant opportunity for the company to provide faster and cost-effective solutions by strengthening its liquidity infrastructure and fostering new partnerships with financial institutions and payment providers.
Built for innovation
Co-founded by Mouloukou Sanoh and Nkiru Uwaje in 2024 and headquartered in Dubai, MANSA brings together deep expertise across traditional finance, payments, and Web3. Sanoh previously co-founded Cassava, Africa’s largest web3 platform, and led key investments at Adaverse, Cardano’s venture arm. He was Forbes 30 under 30 2023.
The leadership team is committed to transforming the way money moves globally by building next-generation financial infrastructure. Their mission is not only to provide instant liquidity solutions but also to reduce settlement times and transaction costs for payment providers worldwide.
A key to efficient cross-border transactions
MANSA is revolutionising global payments boy developing infrastructure that enables real-time, on-chain transactions. By integrating blockchain technology, it aims to make cross-border payments faster, more efficient, and cost-effective, eliminating the limitations of traditional financial systems. Their mission is to transform the movement of money worldwide, ensuring seamless and instantaneous transactions for businesses and individuals alike.
Since its launch, MANSA has gained traction by forging strategic partnerships with major payment companies across Africa, Asia, and South America. The fintech firm’s stablecoin-powered liquidity model has resulted in $27 million in transaction volume to date. Notably, January alone saw nearly $11 million in on-chain transactions, marking a remarkable 574% growth from August 2024.
Our thoughts on this investment
MANSA’s successful funding round is a testament to the growing recognition of its stablecoin-powered liquidity solutions. As the company expands its presence in Latin America and Southeast Asia, it has the potential to revolutionise cross-border payments by addressing liquidity shortages and driving financial inclusion. With its experienced team and cutting-edge technology, MANSA is well-positioned to shape the future of global payments.
“Securing $10 million in pre-seed and liquidity funding marks a significant milestone in our mission to transform the way money moves. By bringing payments on-chain and leveraging efficient liquidity solutions, we are addressing critical challenges in cross-border transactions—making payments faster, cheaper, and more reliable worldwide” said Mouloukou Sanoh, CEO and Co-Founder of MANSA. “This funding accelerates our global expansion, enabling us to empower payment companies with seamless, real-time settlement infrastructure and drive the future of payments”
“MANSA’s vision for addressing liquidity challenges in cross-border payments aligns with our mission to create a more efficient and inclusive financial system. By leveraging USDT for real-time settlements and instant payouts, MANSA is solving critical pain points for payment companies operating in emerging markets. We are proud to collaborate with MANSA and support their efforts to reshape global payment infrastructure.” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.
Investors’ views
Vitaly Spassky, Managing Partner, Polymorphic Capital, said: “Mansa is here to disrupt a massive traditional market with blockchain and the Web3 paradigm. Polymorphic supports extraordinary founders. The Mansa team is up to this incredible challenge.”
“We invested in MANSA because of their bold, diverse, high-caliber team of visionary founders addressing critical challenges faced by payments companies in Emerging Markets. We firmly believe that decentralized finance and asset tokenization are game-changing frontier technologies. With immense market potential in emerging economies, MANSA is uniquely positioned to drive transformative impact and bridge the credit gap across Africa,” said Ashim Egunjobi, Managing Partner, Octerra Capital.
Sebastian Cheek, Head of Investment, Faculty Group added: “We are incredibly excited to have been the first investor in Mansa. Our decision to invest was driven primarily by our strong confidence in the leadership team, and we are certain they will continue to validate our belief. Additionally, we are thrilled about the future of crypto payments and Mansa’s potential to make transactions in emerging markets faster, cheaper, and more efficient.”
Shawn Tan, General Partner, TRIVE Digital added: “MANSA addresses a fundamental liquidity challenge in cross-border payments, leveraging stablecoins to create more efficient and accessible financial rails. TRIVE Digital backs visionary founders building the future of Web3, and we are excited to support the MANSA team as they drive transformative impact in the global payments industry.”
The post Female co-led fintech MANSA lands $10M funding to make cross-border payments faster and efficient appeared first on Tech Funding News.